Digital Crisis
by PBComplexion
Summary: Follows the Digimon Dawn/Dusk storyline. When danger slowly steps out from the shadows, a voice will be heard and an ancient prophecy shall be uncovered. Shade and Kou will walk the path they deem right but when things turn for the worst, how will they survive? Personal Events and Scenes will bring some originality to the story as it progresses. KouXShade *ONGOING but slow*
1. Imminent Danger in Thriller Ruins

**This is my first fanfic so be lenient on me. I realized the lack of Digimon Dawn/Dusk fanfics when i was browsing, especially ongoing ones, so I've decided to create one. I'll be following Dusk's storyline since I've already completed it in the past and if there is any word or phrase that you might not know the meaning of, leave a review asking for their meanings. I'll post their meanings in the next chapter :) Please review on how u find the story, how i can improve and if there is any interesting ideas/scenes u might want me to include as well. Enjoy!**

**Btw, this fanfic is more like a practise for me to improve my writing style and get used to writing stories.**

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**Digimon Dusk storyline Chapter 1**** - Imminent Danger at Thriller Ruins**

At Thiller Ruins:

**Normal POV**

"The Union tournament will soon commence. Night Crow cannot allow Light Fang to get the upper hand! Before the Normal tournament tomorrow, I want you all to practise. I've talked to the Digimon in Thriller Ruins to not interfere with the practices. So practice freely." A woman, with long lilac hair that is tied up into a pony tail and a light blue crescent-shaped pin on the side on her head, instructed the six rookie Tamers in front of her from a higher platform. She is the leader of Night Crow, Chief Julia and her partner Digimon who stands beside her is ChaosGallantmon, Chaos.

Chaos added on, "As Julia said, we cannot let Light Fang defeat Night Crow in the tournament tomorrow, no matter what! Don't forget that! Now get into groups of three and begin training!"

Upon hearing their instructions, the six Tamers splat into two groups and began their own mini discussions. The first group consisted of Dorothy, a 13 year old girl with short light blue hair that curled slightly outwards at the end, Newton, a 14 year old boy with big frameless spectacles and a dark blue beanie completely covering his hair, and Shade Tsuyomi, a 13 year old girl with violet hair, dark purple eyes and a dark purple hat that had two ear-like shapes popped out.

**Shade's POV**

Almost immediately after the instructions were given out, Newton turned to face us and shouted with excitement. "Shade, Dorothy! Let's train farther in!" Dorothy jumped back a little from his sudden outburst and replied in a slightly shaky voice, "W-why Newton? This spot is fine. Don't you agree Shade?" She turned to me for my answer and support only to find me deep in thought. An awkward silence filled the air around us for awhile before I decided to break it.

"Actually, I'll have to agree with Newton." I could feel Dorothy staring at me since I don't usually agree to Newton's ideas but I shrugged the feeling off as I continued to explain. "If we practice here, the others would be able to see or even copy our fighting style and strategies." Dorothy looked at me with a raised eyebrow as she said, "But we're all from the same clan. So it doesn't matter if they watch us and try to copy our skills right?" I took a quick glance at Newton before I turned my gaze back to Dorothy and explained in my usual calm tone, "If they decided to use them in their battles with Light Fang, the opponent would be able to gather our data and possibly come up with a way to deal with us even before we fight them. This would be very easy for them to do so especially when the others don't even have the basics of our styles down." Dorothy let out a small 'oh…' while Newton slung his arm over my shoulders causing me to bend slightly forward because of his weight and he had a cheeky grin plastered on his face. "That's amazing! To think you thought of all that just now, guess they don't call you the _Rookie Tactician _for nothing." My face instantly flared up when Newton got too close to me while saying how amazing I am.

**Dorothy's POV**

I chuckled at Newton's remark. Shade has always been considered the _Strategy Tensai _in the Rookie and Normal rank. My gaze fell on Shade and I saw her face lit up like a red lantern. I quickly tried to get Newton off of her, "Newton, get off of Shade!" Newton had a baffled look and asked, "Why? Is there something wrong?" I didn't feel like answering his stupid answer so I just kept an intense glare at him and shortly afterwards, he had the brains to actually look at Shade who already had steam rising from her bright cherry face.

"U-Uwaaah! Shade I'm so sorry!" Newton leapt away from Shade and nearly lost his balance but I grabbed him just in time and pulled him back up on his feet and yelled, "Newton, don't tell me you forgot how easily embarrassed Shade gets especially around guys!" Newton sheepishly scratched the back of his head and mumbling, "Fine, then I won't tell you." But it was audible enough for me and I had this urge to give him a whack on his noggin (head?). Newton apparently realised this and cowered from a slightly distance away from me. But my urge suddenly disappeared when we heard giggling coming from Shade who only had a faint pinkish blush left. "Dorothy, its fine. Newton didn't do it with any bad intentions." I let a small sigh and let it go. There wasn't any point if I stayed angry when Shade isn't going to make a fuss about it. I prompted them, "Then we better hurry and go train. We've wasted even time here." With both of them nodding in agreement, we hastily advanced further in.

**Normal POV**

The Second Group consisting of Ponch, a 13 year old boy with extremely short hair who wore a cap backwards, Gutts, a 12 year old boy with short unruly dark orange hair and has a dark purple bandanna tied on his head, and Barone, a 12 year old girl blonde that has hair tied into two low buns which covered her ears and wore a dark purple headband, noticed Newton's group already leaving to train and Ponch immediately told his group to follow Newton so that they won't get left behind and start training. The group ran after Newton's right away.

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Farther in Thriller Ruins:

Newton had insisted on advancing farther in but after spotting Raigo the Gold Tamer, the decided to train there since this was as far as they could go.

**Newton's POV**

Finally, I can't wait to get this battle started! Looks like I'll be facing Shade first. Dorothy was telling us to anticipate our opponent's next move and direct our Digimon accordingly and she was especially saying that to me. I could feel my eyebrow twitch and I yelled back that I knew that. But she thought otherwise, "I'm telling you because you don't. Instruct your Digimon partner to use its attacks but be sure to keep an eye on their remaining and expended stamina. Each attack will require some of their energy, so excessive use of high-energy or heavy attacks would tire your Digimon out quickly and you might end up losing a winning battle." An anime vein appeared on my forehead and we already learnt this when we first became Tamers. "Tch! Just watch…" I snarled at the fact that I was being underestimated. "Shade, don't hold back!" I yelled and with a nod the fight commenced.

**Shade's POV**

I sent out my Lillymon, Alora while Newton sent out his Kokuwamon (Battery-designed like insect with electricity coming out from its pincers and antenna), Watt. The battle ended quickly with Alora swiftly evading Watt's barrage of poorly aimed shots and landing a one-hit-KO on Watt. Dorothy and Newton were bickering once again on his poor performance.I let out a small sigh and truthfully, I felt utterly bored and so did Alora. Dorothy was next but a sudden violent tremor appeared. All of us were taken surprised by the sudden appearance of a few Vilemon. "I'm gonna…kill…them…" My eyes widen as the Vilemon lunged towards me with its outstretched claws but thankfully, Alora was fast enough to react to the oncoming assault. She glided between us and unleashed her _Flower Cannon_, causing the Vilemon to faint. She turned around and asked if I was alright. I nodded in response with a smile and thanked her.

"Ouch! I twisted my leg…" upon hearing that, my head snapped around to see Newton on the ground with a slightly swollen ankle. "That was dumb. You shouldn't have rushed!" Dorothy let out a huge sigh before continuing, "Can you report this to Chief Julia Shade? I can't leave the injured behind so I'll stay with this idiot and wait here."

"Hey, stop calling me idiot and stuff!" Newton yelled. "The injured should keep quiet!" Dorothy has this extremely sparkly smile that was obviously fake but more than enough to send shivers down our spine. "Shade can you go for us?" I shook away the feeling, nodded and hastily took off to find Chief Julia. As I started sprinting back, I began to ponder about what had just happened. 'If my hunch is correct, this situation has more than meets the eye. The Vilemon earlier had lifeless eyes when it attacked me, almost as if...' "As if they were being controlled right? I'm sure you have noticed this too." Alora (Lillymon) confirmed with me. Apparently, we were thinking of the same thing. It's common for this to happen only with Tamers and their Digimons who have tight bonds with each other. Glancing back slightly as she flew above me, I nodded in agreement as we increased our pace. I just hope the rest are fine.

**Normal POV**

On the way back, Shade lent a hand to Ponch Gutts and Barone who were being overwhelmed by the Vilemons surrounding them. Together, they quickly defeated the Vilemon and Shade continued to find Chief Julia after Ponch and gang said their thanks.

When Shade had finally found Chief Julia, she witnessed with awe as they easily defeated 3 Vilemons in one swift attack. Chief Julia and Chaos (ChaosGallantmon) also noticed that the Vilemons were being controlled by something during the attack but something caught her eye. A strange figure with a red robe covering its entire body at the far end of Thriller Ruin was observing them. Shade had also spotted the mysterious figure from the other end of Thriller Ruins. It laughed as it teleported away before Chief Julia and Chaos could get there in time. "Darn! It got away…" Chaos cursed under his breath. "Who was that…?" Julia softly questioned but she decided to settle the matter at hand first.

After awhile, the situation was finally under control and everyone have gathered together safely. Raigo, Chief Julia and Chaos were having a serious conversation about what had happened. Their conversation lasted for a while and Chief Julia turned to address the rookie tamers. "Currently, we have no idea why the Vilemon are acting strangely and attacked us but we won't be afraid. We are the ultimate Tamer Team, Night Crow!" announced Julia. "That's right! Night crow fears nothing!" Chaos shouted as he turned to face us, "We're counting on all of you at the Normal Tournament tomorrow! Show our strength to Light Fang!" The rookie Tamers let out a small cheer as Julia told them with a warm smile, "Then let's get back to DarkmoonCITY and get some rest for tomorrow. I'm sure everyone will need it."

**- Chapter 1 END -**

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**So there's Chapter 1. I know its kind of short and dry, it's just the prologue/introduction and kind of expected, so I'll try making the other Chapters longer and more exciting when possible. I won't be able to upload too frequently because of multiple exams coming in the next few months but I'll try to upload on a regular basis. Don't forget to review!**


	2. The Start of Everything

**Thanks for the Fav Jackpot 2 ! I wasn't really expecting one so early but I really appreciate it. :) The story now is turning to more battles and hopefully this would make the fanfic more enjoyable. As usual, leave a review for anything u may want to say or ask. Note that i won't focus on describing the Digimon's appearance too much so just Google their pictures if u need to. Sorry for the super late update but I think this would be the speed of my updates right now. Enjoy! **

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**Digimon Dusk storyline Chapter 2 - The Start of Everything**

The next day at DarkmoonCITY:

**Newton's POV**

"Why why why! I can't believe Shade is actually late for the tournament! She may be the winner of Group A but she'll get disqualified if she doesn't reach here in time for her match and everything would be wasted!" I yelled in fustration with my hands on my head. "Come on. Hurry up Shade..." I began pacing back and forth restlessly and as if on cue, Shade teleported in with a relaxed expression like nothing was wrong. I could feel an anime vein pop out on my forehead. 'How can she be so relaxed about the tournament?' "Shade, why are you late on such an important day! The Group B tournament has already commenced and here you are being soo relaxed." "Ehehe...sorry Newton but my match only starts 10 minutes later. Besides, I can't wait for my next match. I can tell its going to be really fun!" Shade remarked with a grin. I heaved a huge sigh. She is always, always like this! She seems so relaxed with everything it makes it hard to tell whether she is actually serious about anything. "Take being a Night Crow more seriously or else Light Fang will laugh at you! ...Anyways, we'd better get going." With a nod from Shade who was scratching her head from slight guilt, we sprinted towards the tournament lobby.

When we reached the lobby, a fight was begin displayed on the overhead display monitor."Whew, Group B isn't over yet." I said in relief. "Mm-hm but its looks like Gutts is having a hard time against Kou." stated Shade. My eyes narrowed as I noticed that as well but Night Crow will not go down without a fight! "Gutts! You'd better win no matter what! Take that Light Fang Kou and crush him! Go Mushroomon! You can win!" I cheered along with Shade but after ahwile, it was clear that he would lose the match. I turned my gaze away from the moitor to Shade, "We don't have time for this… let's go to the waiting room Shade." She agreed and we headed towards our waiting room.

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Waiting Room:

**Shade's POV**

Newton ran ahead of me and motioned for me to come over to them. I walked over and noticed Cheif Julia and Chaos standing nearby. Cheif Julia turned to address me, "Shade, you made it. Looks like you're up next. Good luck." Chaos added on, "We Night Crow won Group A of the Normal Tournament. Well done Shade but be careful of your next opponent Kou. Group B lost to him and he fights pretty well." "That's right. As long as you remember to keep your guard up at all times and fight like you usually do, you will have a fighting chance against him. Victory in the Normal Tournament belongs to Night Crow!" Cheif Julia adviced me and I bowed my head slightly to thank them for their warning and advices. Shortly afterwards, Gutts returned from the arena through a Teleportation Gate(I'm going to shorten it to: TPGate) and apologised for losing to Light Fang as he walked over to us.

"Darn! If Mushroomon would have moved in just a bit more…" -Ponch interupted Gutts- "That's right! Your Digimon always has that problem!" "Come on, don't be so hard on Gutts. At least he made it to the semi-finals." defended Barone. "Thats right Ponch! But really, you guys are such buddies to lose to the same opponent!" Dorothy laughed teasingly as sparks flew between them. I sweatdropped at the scene. Why did they have to fight everyday... I let out a small sigh and decided to try and stop them before they really started fighting. "C-Come on, calm down guys. If they both lost to the same opponent, doesn't that show how strong he is?" Silence befell the two as they stared at each other with death glares before the sharply turned away form each other. W-Well at least they stopped fighting...I guess. "Thats right. The one who beat them is Kou of Light Fang and I lost to him as well. Shade, be careful he's your next opponent." I tensed up at Newton's warning. Just how strong was he? Many thoughts and worries filled my head as I pondered to possible outcomes. Chief Julia, seeing how nervous and tense I was, placed a hand on my right shoulder and assured me, "Shade, you can win if you fight carefully. Just believe in yourself and give it your all." I nodded as a warm smile grew on my face and my body automatically relaxed when I heard her words. Chief Julia always seemed to know what to say at the right time and it always made me feel so comfortable around her. I really admire her, she's an excellent Tamer and a great leader on top of that but she always tries to find time to help us improved no matter how much work she has piled up. After I had relaxed, Chaos and Chief Julia exited to the tournament lobby.

Watching her fleeting back through the door, I felt like I had forgotten something important. It took me awhile but when I finally remembered, I dashed after her. How could I forget to ask her about my opponent's fighting style and if there was anything I should look out for! I can't belive myself! I just hope I can find her before the match starts. Luckily, Chief Julia was still at the lobby. I let out a sigh of relief and rush to her side. She seems to be in a conversation with someone and his Ophanimon. Steadily walking towards them, Chief Julia seemed to notice me. "Ah Shade, let me introduce you to Chief Glare of Light Fang." Bowing my head to Chief Glare, I introduced myself. "Its an honor to meet to Chief Glare. I am Shade of Night Crow." "Ah, its nice to meet you too. Chief Julia has told me alot about you." Chief Glare said with a smile. I blushed slightly as I heard this. I can't belive Chief Julia talked about me! I was in my own world as Chaos snapped me out of it, "Shade is still a Normal Tamer but has great potential and is a good Tamer. I'm sure you could tell if you saw the match." "Yes. I did see her match. She's an impressive Tamer." Chief Glare replied cooly. His Ophanimon, Cera added on, "Thats right. We will look forward to your growth but Kou of Light Fang also has great potential."

"Thank you Ophanimon, but I still have a ways to go."

A strong voice that said that came from behind Chief Glare. Out of curiosity, I peered behind them and saw a boy with slightly messy bright orange hair and black eyes walked towards them. He introduced himself as soon as he stopped beside Chief Glare, "Nice to meet you Chief Julia and Shade. I'm Kou of Light Fang, the Group B champion and your opponent." Kou look at me before continuing with a toothy grin," Just because your a girl doesn't mean I'll go easy on you." I felt my eyebrow twitch at his statement. Just because I'm a girl! He thinks that I only won because my opponents were going easy on me! I took in a deep breath to calm myself down and a small smirk appeared on my face. I'll show him what happens to my opponents when they underestimate Night Crow and me. Time flew by as I was in my own thoughts and we soon bid each other good luck and farewell. As Chief Glare, Cera and Kou went back to their waiting room, Chief Julia whispered to me before heading to our waiting room. "Be careful, Kou is strong." Strong huh? Well, he is a finalist. I stared at the black Digivice with sliver linings in my hand. "Are you guys ready to fight?" I asked my Digimons, Diana (Lunamon), Alora (Lillymon) and Kageru (ShadowWereGarurumon). All three of them shouted in their own ways that they weren't going down without a fight. I giggled at how excited they are for this tournament. After all, this _is_ the Normal Tournament and a huge step for me as a Night Crow Tamer. It would be a lie to say that I was not even a bit excited about this. I'm totally pumped! I had this huge grin plastered on my face as I agreed with them, "Let's do this!"

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At the Arena:

**Normal POV**

On the Battle Stage, Kou and Shade stood at opposite ends while locking their gazes at each other with intensity. Night Crow and Light Fang may seem rather friendly towards each other but the intense rivalry between them will never be forgotten. For both of them, their pride as a representative of their clan were on the line. From the stands, cheering from both sides filled the arena hall. "You can do it!" "Wipe out that kid!" "Show them the clan's power!" Grinning at the level of energy coming from the spectators, Kou became very excited and eager to get this battle started. "Shade of Night Crow, let's get this started!" Shade nodded, "Ready whenever you are." Seeing that everyone was ready for the battle to commence, th Referee announced into his microphone, "Now for the finals of the Normal Tournament we've all been waiting for, we have the Group A champ, Shade of Night Crow and the Group B champ, Kou of Light Fang! Both have gotten to this point with ease and with such an interesting matchup, who will be the winner! But before that, this tournament has been changed into a one-on-one battle and the first one to render the opponent's Digimon unable to battle wins! So are you ready? Then let's get this battle started!" Roars of excitement came from the crowd and on cue, Kou and Shade sent out their first Digimon. A Reppamon stood on Kou side while Shade chose her ShadowWereGarurumon, Kageru.

"Let's do this Ciel!" Kou yelled to his Reppamon, Ciel. With a howl, Ciel lunged towards Kageru at high speeds. **'Spinning Sky-Fissure Slash'**! The Reppamon spun his body into a somersault and used his blade-tail to strike Kageru. However Kageru was quick enough to react to the attack and caught the blade above his head inbetween his palm. The force of the impact caused a ground beneath the Wolf Digimon, Kageru, to crack slightly. "Kageru!" shouted Shade. Kageru immediately pulled the Reppamon down by its tail down before sharply throwing it back up into the air causing it to loose balance and momentum from its attack. Not allowing the surprised Canine Digimon, Ciel, could recover, Shade ordered her Digimon to stirke him. Kageru leapt into the air above the Reppamon and did a flip in a circular motion before kicking him straight into the ground below. **'Full Moon Kick'! **The Reppamon shot out of the sky and created a small crater where he landed.

"Come on Ciel, get up! This match is far from over." Kou encouraged the Canine Digimon as he shakily got back onto its fours while resuming an attack stance after he had repositioned himself on Kou's side of the field. "Kou, we can't afford to mess up now." warned Ciel. Kou nodded as he became serious. "We were underestimating her but it appears we can't afford to hold back anymore! Ciel, **'Vacuum Kamaitachi'**!" "I thought you'd never ask!" Ciel turned around sharply, shook his tail and an invisible violent wind blade was released. Shade squinted her eyes in attempt in spot the attack but to no avail. It wasn't until the last few seconds when she saw the ground infront of Kageru getting shallow but sharp slashes. "Infront of you!" She tried to warn her Digimon but Kageru, although avoiding most of the attack, got a huge gash on his right calf and the rest of the attack left deep slashes on the wall behind them. Blood flowed profusely from the wound and Shade knew she had to come up with a way the counter that invisible attack soon or else her Digimon won't last much longer.

'Tch what an annoying attack. Looks like I don't have a choice, I've got to try out that attack.' Shade thought to herself as she waited for the right time to stirke. That same attack was fired a few more times and Kageru suffered more injuries to his arm but kept standing. Trailing the blood dripping from her Digimon's limbs, Shade start to panic. 'Kageru won't last much longer like this. Come on there should be some kind of opening somewhere!' 'Darn, he keeps dodging it. Heh, but looks like I was too much for her to handle afterall. But too bad I'll have to and this now!' Kou thought to himself as he ordered another **'Vacuum Kamaitachi'**. Ciel spun around as usual but this time the shot went off target. 'Why now of all times!' Kou face palmed as he saw Ciel's tail getting agitated. Ciel was quarelling with his tail...AGAIN! A Reppamon's tail as a separate will of its own so it wasn't uncommon for the both of them to fight in the middle of battles. 'Could it have been because we didn't land a one-hit-KO after so many tries?' he asked himself but panicked as he was forced to leave an opening.

Noticing the obvious opening, Shade instructed Kageru to get close to unleash his strongest close-combat skill. **'Baldy Blow'!** Despite the great pain from his wounded limbs, Kageru trusted himself right in front of his opponent, crouched slightly and his right fist began glowing with a light blue aura. The wind gathered and swirled around his fist and he launched his fist right into Reppamon's exposed side. The blue aura was shot from his fist at point blank range and sent the Reppamon flying into the wall. The force of the attack caused a violent wind to whip all around Kou causing his clothes and hair to flap around wildly as his Digimon was sent flying behind him.

Dust exploded from the cracked wall and concealed where Reppamon crashed. Silence befell the entire arena as they kept their eyes peeled. The dust cloud slowly dissipated thus revealing an unconcious Reppamon. The crowd roared from the intense battle and the winner was declared. "Victory goes the Shade of Night Crow and the champion of the Normal Tournament! Congratulations to Night Crow! What an amazingly skilled battle coming from two Rookie Tamers! Towards the end Kou was giving his opponent a trashing but Shade managed to pull off a win at the very last moment! Let's give a bring round of applause to these two astounding potentials!" Deafening screamings and cheers erupted from the stands while Kou and Shade walked towards each other in the middle of the arena.

Kou held out his hand and shook hands with Shade. "I can't believe I lost to you but a lost is a lost. Congratulations on your Victory Shade. It was a great match." Kou said with a tired smile. "T-Thank you. But it was a close match for me if u hadn't left yourself open, who knows how it might have ended." admitted Shade. Kou released Shade's hand and placed his hands behind his head and a toothy grin appeared. "You got that right! Don't go thinking you're stronger than me because if that hadn't happen I would have definitely won and it won't happen twice! But, I'll acknowledge you as my rival so you'd better not lose to anyone before I beat you." Shade was at a loss of words for awhile.'Rival huh...' she thought to herself. She never had a rival before so when Kou said they were rivals, it had a nice and warm feeling to it. Shade chuckled and a warm and gentle smile appeared on her face. "You got it so I'll be expecting the same of you. Till the next time we meet, Kou." Kou nodded his head with a gentle smile and they left the arena to their respective waiting rooms.

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At lobby

Chief Glare and Chief Julia, along with their partner Digimons were thanking each other for the great match. Shade walked up to them and stopped beside Chaos where he noticed her. "Good job Shade, that was a good battle!" "That's right. I'm proud as the Night Crow leader." said Julia. Shade smiled sheepishly as she blushed slightly. "Looks like Kou has already acknowledge you as his rival. He couldn't stop saying that he defeat you next time." said Cera, Ophanimon. Glare chuckled and continued, -"That's right. This match has definitely been a good experience for Kou and for that, I thank you Shade. He will most certainly improve from this and I would say the same to you." Shade blushed even more at Chief Glare gratefulness though she felt she didn't did anything in particular. "Well, it's time to get back to SunshineCITY. I look forward to the Bronze Tournament tomorrow." said Glare. They saluted each other and Glare and Cera left for the TPgate (Teleportation gate).

Watching them leave, Julia and Chaos started to leave but something caught her eye. A strange red hooded figure followed Glare and Ciel. It was the same person they saw at Thriller Ruins! Julia and CGmon look at each other as if they were having a mental conversation and without saying anything, they chased after the red figure. Shade also spotted the figure and followed it.

When Shade finally caught up with them, she saw that Chief Glare, Cera, Chief Julia, Chaos and the DarkmoonCITY guards,one White and one Black KingChessmon, had surrounded the red figure to a corner. KChessmonWH shouted, "You shady character! ..." "...Settle down!" continued KChessmonB. Shade ran towards them to hear what was happening. "That's… the same from before!" Julia muttered sharply. "What's going on…." Glare asked himself and suddenly, the red figure let out a maniacal laugh as it disappeared into thin air once again. This left everyone surprised. Turning the Julia, Glare asked, "Chief Julia, have you met that guy before..?" "Yes Chief Glare… There was an incident the other day, the wild Digimon went on a rampage in Thriller Ruins and I saw him then." "I see, I wonder who it is…" Glare muttered. Julia said in a serious voice, "I don't know but it's as if he's watching us. There's also been strange activity on the server and I'm worried about DarkmoonCITY... Chief Glare, you should also head back home soon." Glare nodded in agreement and Light Fang went back home.

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Union Room

"Shade, you did very well. Your matches were worthy of the opening day." complimented Julia. Chaos added on, "Sukekiyo, Kakumi tomorrow is the Bronze Tournament. I'm counting on the both of you." "The Night Crow and Light Fang are old rivals. Winning is important, but even more so is to have a good match." reminded Julia. Sukekiyo, wavy short purple hair boy with his long fringe parting to his right and behind his ear, replied confidently "Leave it to us! We'll beat'em with ease!" Kakumi, long wavy orange hair girl wearing a purple headband with her fringe also part to her right, also replied in the same manner. " Don't worry. We won't lose to the Light Fang!" Shade stood between the two Tamers who are clearly a few years older than herself (Shade is 13 years old). Julia and Chaos nodded in response. "Good! We're all counting on all of you so get some rest today. You're dismissed. Shade, I'd like you to stay. We...have something to talk to you about." Shade nodded and stepped forward while Sukekiyo and Kakumi stared at each other wondering what could they possibly have to talk about with her but decided that it was none of their business and left them alone.

After they were left alone, Julia began to ask something. "Shade, do you remember the strange guy we say at Thiller Ruins and at the match? Not only did the guy appear in Thiller Ruins, but also at the match between Night Crow and Light Fang. He must be up to something..." "The strange power he had to make the wild Digimon become aggressive...if the same thing happened during the match or at the DigiColisseum, it would be a mess." stated Chaos and he continued on, "There's also one other thing. Chief Glare may have known him. I could sense something in his eyes when he saw him at the DigiColisseum. But it could just be my imagination." Julia pondered for a moment before saying, "I see. I'll ask Chief Glare about it tomorrow and Shade don't say anything to the others for now. I don't want to spread rumors. Now Shade, I sent you a gift for your good work. Head back to the Tamer Home and have a look." Shade nodded and they saluted before she left.

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DarkmoonCITY:

On her way to the Tamer Home, the rest of the Rookie Tamers were waiting for Shade at the entrance. They said how nice it was to receive a gift and that they were jealous. At a certain point, Dorothy and Newton got into a little verbal fight and it ended with Newton getting silence by Dorothy's smart response. The group laughed lightly and afterwards, they left for the Tamer Home. The Tamer Home is where tamers stay at and where they can raise the rest of their Digimon party in a Farm Island by accessing the computer there. It works like a platform that allows tamers to switch their party Digimons with those on standby and take care of them as the Farmland is a virtual space for Digimons to relax and train in when their bored. One can also DNA Digivolve their Digimons there too. The training equipment for the Farms can be purchased at the Farm Shop. Shade entered the Tamer home and was approached by a mouse-like Digimon with a vertical red line across his two eyes, a Phascomon. "Shade congratulations! I am very proud to be your NaviDigimon at the home. Oh and the present we received for your great performance was actually a Farm Island Card! Good for you. Now you own a Farm Island." said the Phascomon, Saz, cheerfully. Shade was overjoyed by the present as well but it was quickly replaced with exhaustion. She let out a big yawn as her eyes became slightly teary. "Ah, of course you would be tired from the Normal Tournament earlier! I'm sorry for not noticing and holding you up. Go to sleep early so you get enough rest for tomorrow. Good night Shade. Oh and make sure you brush your teeth before you sleep!" reminded Saz as he left Shade to sleep. Shade scratched her cheek with one finger at Saz's Tournament comment and soon after, she removed her shoes before heading to her bed. She collapsed onto her bed and it didn't take long before everything went blank.

Around DarkmoonCITY, Tamers of different ranks and even Digimons were anxious for the upcoming tournaments, Bronze and Silver. Some were even talking about the Normal Tournament which took place earlier on when all of a sudden, a slight tremor shook before being followed by a massive tremor. DarkmoonCITY shook violently and it could be felt at every corner of the city. The tremor soon ended and the city alarm started blaring. Many Tamers were baffled at what was going on. Violent tremors and the alarm blaring right afterwards certainly indicated that something very bad happened since the city alarm has never went off before and to confirm their woes, a big purple egg-like object with a malicious expression appeared out of thin air at the city's entrance. Nearby Tamers and Digimons surrounded the purple egg instantly but he didn't seem bothered at all. Instead, it merely laughed evilly. Sparks began to crackle from his body and many big dark purple spheres shot out all around it. A big tremor once again shook DarkmoonCITY followed by a bright light engulfed the surroundings blinding all of them temporarily and when the light diminished, every Tamer was unconscious while the Digimons turned back into DigiEggs! With the same mysterious ability, he teleported further into the city and took out their defenses with ease.

Back at the Tamer Home, Saz their NaviDigimon, Phascomon, urgently woke Shade. He began explaining that DarkmoonCITY's security was attacked by a virus. It affected their systems greatly and all the Digimon turned back into eggs. Shade's were no exception either except that her Digimons turned back to being Rookie Digimons instead of DigiEggs. This fully awakened Shade from her daze instantly as she everything registered in her head and Shade went to search for the purple egg shortly afterwards. It took awhile but she finally located it in the Union Room. Julia and Chaos were desperately preventing their minds from being taken over by the intruder, purple egg, but with one more attack, they began to fall unconscious.

**Shade's POV**

I finally found the intruder that Saz was talking about in the Union Room and hurriedly sprinted to it. By the time I had finally reached it, everybody in the Union Room including Chief Julia and Chaos were unconscious. Seeing as I was the only Tamer left standing, I decided to face the inturder in attempt to stop it. Just as I was about to summon my Digimon, Chief Julia was barely able to warn me before completely falling unconscious to be very careful as this was no ordinary Digimon. I nodded and gulped. Fighting against something that can easily break through the city's defenses with Rookie Digimons will be far from a walk in the park but this depended on me now. I can't afford to lose!

* * *

**So here's Chap 2. Its way longer than the previous Chap and hopefully its more enjoyable to read too. It's pretty obvious what would happen to the battle since the starting part of this fanfic is in the game so my original and personal events would come in much later. But no worries because I have no intentions to drag out this fanfic unnecessarily. After all, this is my first fanfic so I'm mainly testing it out for improvements in my text/presentation/plot creation and experience. Sorry again for the super slow update but I've got other priorities to attend to right now so I'm afraid that you'll have to bear with me. Thank you for reading :)**


	3. Triple Trouble

**Chapter 3 is finally up and I'm sorry for the long wait But seeing as my exams are getting closer, my next update would most probably be during the second half of November. Thanks a lot for the new Fav and Follow! I mean it! Well, enjoy the story guys and DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**

* * *

Chapter 2 Recap:

**Shade's POV**

I finally found the intruder that Saz was talking about in the Union Room and hurriedly sprinted to it. By the time I had finally reached it, everybody in the Union Room including Chief Julia and Chaos were unconscious. Seeing as I was the only Tamer left standing, I decided to face the intruder in attempt to stop it. Just as I was about to summon my Digimon, Chief Julia was barely able to warn me before completely falling unconscious to be very careful as this was no ordinary Digimon. I nodded and gulped. Fighting against something that can easily break through the city's defences with Rookie Digimons will be far from a walk in the park but this depended on me now. I can't afford to lose!

* * *

**Chapter 3 - Triple Trouble**

**Shade's POV**

The intruder maniacally laughed as it turn to fight with an evil glint in its eyes and I immediately raised my Digivice, black in colour with sliver linings. Kageru, now Goburimon - small ogre looking Digimon, still has to rest from the tournament so it was up to Alora, Palmon - small green Digimon with a big pink flower on her head, and Diana, still Lunamon. Diana is my biggest shot of winning it but I'll have to weaken it first. "Alora, do your best!" Palmon leapt into battle as soon as she was summoned. The intruder unleashed an assault of **'Call Cats'** (claw-like attack) but Alora managed to barely dodge all of them with occasional scratches. Looks like Alora still has a portion of her former agility but she's already starting to pant quite a bit. I bit my lip slightly as I decided to go on the offensive and instructed Alora to use her '**Plant Shock'**. A wave of leaves was fired from her arms and showered the intruder in its fury. The attack seemed to have a effect against it. However, it unleashed its **'Small Breath'** (fireball attack) after recovering from its stagger and in an instant, the shower of leaves burned to ashes. My eyes widened as I was dumbfounded. No way... it had fire attacks? This isn't good... "Alora!" I shouted to her in panic but unfortunately, I was to late. Another fireball was already heading towards her. The fireball crashed into her body and smoke started rising from her burns. She shakily stood her ground despite the searing pain but I knew this couldn't go on. It was a clear disadvantage so I quickly withdrew Alora and sent out Diana. "Diana, its up to you now! **'Lunar Claw'**!" Her claws glowed purple with darkness infused in them and went in for close combat. Its attacks so far were long to mid ranged attacks so lets see if it can handle close combat.

The attack seemed to be working until familiar purple spheres shot out around it. Diana instinctively leapt back to dodge but a sphere managed to graze one of her ears. I told Diana to attack with her **'Tear Shot'** but she didn't budge. Thinking that she couldn't hear me, I repeated myself louder but to no avail. Something was definitely wrong. I cautiously went to an angle where I could see her face and I was utterly shocked. Her eyes looked as if she was in a trance! Don't tell me that graze from before-... Before I could finish my thoughts, a fireball sent Diana flying to one corner. "Diana!" I shouted with worry and panic in my voice. She continued to lay emotionlessly on the floor before slowly standing up. I tore my eye from her as I fought off the intense urge to run to her and assessed the situation. Alora and Kageru are too weak to face it and Diana is still my only chance of winning...looks like its either now or never! I clenched my teeth and ignoring the danger, I darted towards Diana. As soon as I reached her, I knelt down and shook her slightly. "Diana, you got to snap out of it! P-Please, I know you can hear me! Diana!" I frantically yelled at her, hoping that she would wake up. I continued with my attempts as the intruder crept closer and closer. It wasn't until I sensed it behind me that I turned around to see it hovering a few meters away. No, no it can't end like this! A fireball began to form in its mouth as I pulled Diana into a tight hug and squeezed my eyes shut. Seconds felt like minutes as I waited for the worst to happen. In my last feeble attempt, I screamed. "DIANA, PLEASE WAKE UP!"

I could hear the fireball being fired and I prepared for the end. But at the last second, something pushed me. I landed away from the blast and snapped my eyes open. Lieing sprawled over me was Diana. Did she push me out of the way? "D-Diana? Are you back to normal?" I asked weakly as I sat up. She slowly got off me and looked up at my face with a warm smile. "Mm-hm thanks to you." She stood up and faced the intruder, "We have a battle to finish right Shade?" I chuckled as I stood up, "You're right. Let's put an end to this nuisance, **'Lop-ear** **Ripple'**!" Diana's ears spun vigorously and generated a vortex of bubbles which engulfed the intruder. The attack trapped it in its' place while inflicting multiple hits whenever it came into contact with the bubbles. The intruder was clearly very weak now from the accumulation of hits he had suffered. "Alright, one last attack! **'Tear Shot'**!" She concentrated her power into her forehead antenna and a ball of water gathered there. With a swing of its antenna, the water sphere shot towards the intruder. Water vapor and mist exploded from the impact and it collapsed from the impact with a loud thud. Its figure started to distort and disappear as it converted back into DATA. I found myself breathing heavily and my heart was thumping violently against my chest from the intense battle. Diana turned around and jumped on me. "We did it!" she said in a chirpy tone. I left out a small giggle as I hoisted her up into a hug and replied, "We sure did." She suddenly rubbed her cheek against mine playfully. "H-Hey stop it." We both broke into a tiny laugh but Diana's ear suddenly twitched and her head turned around. I followed her gaze to Chief Julia and Chaos who were starting to awaken.

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**Normal POV**

Chief Julia and Chaos groggily awoke and got up. Seeing no signs of the intruder, they assumed that it was defeated by Shade, the only other Tamer standing there. They thanked Shade and apparently, the intruder was trying to take over their minds. Chief Julia shook it off and instructed Shade to search the CITY and aid the injured. Shade complied and sprinted to the CITY with Diana.

It took several hours before everything settled down. Luckily, there were no casualties but all of them had bruises and wounds decorating their bodies so it took a long time to patch them up. The DigiEggs on the other hand were all in the safety of their respective Tamer's home. They did not need any special monitoring or incubation of any sort since they were not new to-be-born baby Digimons. Chief Julia had ordered the CITY to cease all work and take a break from the earlier chaos. The only Tamers who were fit enough to continue helping out were Shade, Dorothy, Newton, Gutts, Ponch and Barone so Chief Julia tasked them to help them restore the CITY's security and systems.

Back at the Union Room:

Only about half an hour had passed after the group of young Tamers started their task and a few of them were already giving in. "Why do I have to check the systems? That's such a hassle!" "Well, this is ridiculous! I can't do something so tedious!" Ponch and Gutts whined while Barone tried to reason with them again, "Ponch, Gutts don't talk like that. This is also important work for the Union..." "Since we were back at the home, nothing happened to us. But the others took severe damage." "That's right so why not do something to help the CITY for a change." Newton and Shade supported Barone and the boys, unable to find a good comeback. remained silent. Dorothy's timely arrival broke the silence as she informed Shade and Newton that Chief Julia wanted to see them. Passing a brief glance at each other, they followed Dorothy quietly.

As soon as the trio arrived behind Chief Julia and Chaos, they turned around and briefed them of their current situation. Chief Julia had a grave look on her face as she spoke, "We don't know who the enemy is yet but the virus programme has caused serious damage to CITY's systems and Access Zone is not functioning. Dark E Area, Dark S Area and Dark N Area can't be accessed and communication is cut off." "In addition, Center Bridge is blocked from traffic. Sunshine and Darkmoon are completely cut off from each other." Chaos added on. Chief Julia could sense the worry and uneasiness they three were feeling and sighed slightly as she continued, "The only places we were able to restore the link between CITY and DigiArea are in three places: Sunken Tunnel, Chip Forest and Thriller Ruins. Shade, I'd like you to go to Sunken Tunnel and search for any leads about the enemy. I don't think destroying CITY is their only objective..." A loud and sudden statement interrupted their serious conversation.

"Chief Julia let us go too!" Everyone turned their attention to the group behind them to find Ponch, Gutts and Barone. The usual action seeking trio. "We can help, right everyone?!" exclaimed Gutts. "Umm...Chief Julia, I request your permission as well." Barone asked politely. Chief Julia immediately shook her head and firmly denied their request, saying that they had better things to do like restoring the CITY along with the fact that they were not strong enough to venture outside. Despite her decision, the trio continued to insist on their request. Chaos was getting annoyed by their continuous selfishness and soon enough, his voice boomed through out the room. "No! I can't let you guys handle it!" The three of them were startled by the intensity of his voice and remained silent for a few seconds. Ponch cast his gaze to the floor as did the other two and mumbled something under his breath before they returned to their stations grudgingly. A long silence which engulfed the room was broken with a heavy sigh from Chaos. "I understand how they feel, but there's no choice. The shop, farms and DigiLab have been restored but there are still other areas that need to be checked out. So we still need them." "With that said," Chief Julia continued,"I'd like to ask Shade to go and investigate Sunken Tunnel. But remember to be careful." Shade stepped forward and saluted together with Chaos and Chief Julia as a sign that she accepts her mission. Turning to Newton and Dorothy, Chief Julia added," As for the both of you, I'd like you to aid with the CITY's restoration. The faster we get the CITY back to its former state, the better it will be for everybody." Newton and Dorothy nodded and saluted in the same manner Shade did. The trio were shortly dismissed afterwards.

**Shade's POV**

On the way to the TPGate (Teleportation Gate), I noticed that the server computers were vacant and so did Dorothy and Newton. I heard a small sigh from behind and turned around to see that it came from Dorothy. She placed her hand on head and shook it disappointedly, "Those idiots...why can't they stay out of trouble for once." Newton placed his hand on Dorothy's shoulder and spoke up, "There's nothing we can do about it now. Shade the three of them probably went to Sunken Tunnel to prove that Chief Julia was wrong but knowing them...they're will be in some sort of trouble sooner or later." Newton said the last part with clear boredom in his voice and the three of us couldn't agree more. "I got it. The both of you just focus on restoring the CITY and leave the three of them to me. I'll make sure they're out of trouble while I'm there." The three of us nodded in agreement and separated to do our assigned jobs.

* * *

I headed out of the Union room through the TPGate and started heading towards the City's entrance only to be stopped by our former CITY guards, now in the form of Kapurimons. Apparently a group of three had forced their way through them earlier which led the the minor misunderstanding. I sweatdropped as I knew it was unmistakably Ponch and gang. Without much delay, I was allowed to pass through since they knew I had Union work to carry out. My Digimons were all in tip top shape since I brought them to the Tamer Home to rest up and heal their wounds earlier on so I had no worries that I was unprepared. I stepped on the TPGate and was teleported to the entrance. My eyes widened in an instant. Ponch and gang were about to get on the TPGate despite a Tamer's warnings but before I could react on time, the three of them had already disappeared through the TPGate. Darn, I just missed them. I immediately ran after them and took the TPGate to the Sunken Tunnel.

Sunken Tunnel

Everything around me went white in a fast blur and a new surrounding shortly came into sight. Everywhere I looked seemed like an underground sewer to me. Murky water, dim lightings and multiple large tunnels with bars built across it and gushing water. But surprisingly, there was no stench. The sewers intrigued me a bit and after remembering that Ponch and gang rush in here, I remained focus on finding them and investigating the tunnels at the same time. Rookie Tamers were only allowed to go to Thiller Ruins under strict supervision since were are not strong enough so this would be my first time coming to the Sunken Tunnels. It did not take long for me to spot Barone near the entrance and according to her, they were attacked by wild Digimons and got separated from each other. Great...things just got alot more troublesome for me. Ponch and Gutts continued to advance and unintentionally left her behind so now, she was had no idea what to do. I prompted her to head back to the CITY and she nodded while saying her apologies for being to reckless. I shrugged it off and watched her leave through the TPGate. Sometimes I wonder why Barone chooses to hang out with Gutts and Ponch. She is really polite unlike the other two so its hard to imagine how she gets along them. Deciding not to ponder further, I let out a small sigh of relief. At least thats one down and two more to go.

I ventured deeper into the sewers and came across multiple dead ends. I battled numerous wild Digimons **- **Betamons, Kapurimons, Hagurumons, ToyAgumonBlack and Kotemons** -** along the way and noticed they were acting weirdly like the Vilemons in Thiller Ruins except they do not seemed to be controlled but blinded with the urge for violence. As I progressed further in, the battles proved to get slightly tougher but with the continuous fights, my Digimons got stronger as well. So, I was not hindered too much and it worked as a form of training. However, it took longer than expected since I had to search for the pipe valves and close them in order to stop the torrential water which blocked my advance from the pipes directly above the paths. After what seemed like an hour or two, I finally neared the end of the tunnel. My Digimons and I took a quick breather before heading to the ladder up ahead. As I was about to climb the ladder, a sudden foul stench entered my nostrils causing me to pinch them immediately in disgust. What is that smell?! I faintly heard Gutts' voice and it seemed like a battle was taking place. Ignoring the pungent smell, I hurried up the ladder and was greeted with the sight of an enraged Raremon infront of Ponch and Gutts.

"Are you mocking me! Did you really expect to defeat me with those skills?! Hmph. How dare you mock Raremon, ruler of Sunken Tunnel. I'll crush you for your insolence!" roared Raremon. Ponch and Gutts stood rooted to the ground with fear and panic running through their minds. Seeing as they were in no condition to battle anymore, I placed myself inbetween Raremon of the two of them in attempt to protect them. The boys were surprised by my sudden appearance, not to mention in the nick of time, and manged to utter a few words, "Shade, what-" "Just stand back and let me handle this guy!" I interrupted them with an authoritative voice. The boys instantly backed off knowing that I was dead serious. I would only get this way when the stakes are high or if the enemy is extremely strong. My eyes focused intensely on Raremon almost as if I could peer right into his soul. "I don't know who you are but do you really think you have a chance of beating me?" questioned Raremon. I smirked at his comment and sent out Diana. "I like that look you have brat. It'll make crushing you much more pleasurable and you're going to regret ever taking me on!" "Diana," I whispered to her, "try to ignore the stench and give your all to bring him down." Diana nodded in response. This is going to be an extremely though battle. Raremons give off a foul stench from its entire body, so that Digimon up to the Rookie-level will simply run away, and will not be its opponent until they grow to Champion. Unfortunately for us, We only have Rookie Digimons with us. "**Acid Sludge**!" Raremon spat acid from its mouth and it hit the ground where Diana had been standing on. A sizzling sound caught my attention and I glanced at the corroding ground. "Muahahaha! Scared brat? My breath and spit can corrode anything it touches." Making a mental note to be extra careful, I stood my ground and prepared to retaliate. "**Tear Shot**!" A ball of water was fired at him only to be effortlessly deflected by his saggy arm. Let's try this on for size, "**Lop-ear Ripple**!" A vortex of bubbles surrounded Raremon and entrapped him. But just when I thought I had him, He pushed his way out of the bubble vortex. I gapped at him as he let out a sinister chuckle. "Is this all you can do? You may have done better than those two fools but you're years too early to challenge me!" Raremon loudly proclaimed. I hate to admit it but he's right. But this is when all those intense training Diana went through before the tournament will show itself.

Despite Diana's attempts to dodge and successfully wound Raremon, he would merely swat Diana away repeatedly against the hard floor. She shakily stood up and held her ground once again. Her body was covered in cuts and bruises. I could tell that the boys are thinking its all over for us but little did they know that the time has come for us to turn this battle around. Diana's body began to glow as if on cue and her form started changing under that shimmering light. She became taller and her figure was slimmer. As soon as the evolution was complete, the light faded away to show that Diana evolved into Lekismon. A wide grin flashed across my face and I told Lekismon to attack Raremon with her '**Tear Arrow'**. Sparkling ice arrows were shot from the stick up on her back and pierced into Raremon's body. "Arg! How can your power shoot up so much from just an evolution?! No matter, you're going to lose right here and now! **'Breath of Decay'**! " Raremon yelled and a corrosive gas started flowing out of his mouth. Luckily for the boys and me, we were out of the gas's reach so we did not have to be too cautious. "Diana, '**Moon Night Kick'**!" Diana leapt high up, avoiding the gas attack and descended rapidly towards Raremon, delivering a devastating kick. The impact created a depression on the ground where Raremon was hit and a cloud of dust was sent flying through the air. It took awhile for the dust particles to settle and what we saw was Diana standing victoriously beside the unconscious Raremon.

* * *

**Normal POV**

"That's amazing Shade, you beat that guy!" exclaimed Ponch. "That's right and it looked as if you knew that your Digimon was going to evolve during the battle! How is that possible?" questioned Gutts excitedly. Shade caught her breath from the tough battle before replying, "I guess you could say its a distinct feeling you get from the bonds with your Digimons that signals when they are about to evolve." Shade walked over to Lekismon and placed her hand on Diana's arm. "How do you feel?" "Stronger than ever! All that training really paid off." said Diana cheerfully. Shade giggled slightly at her comment. The Raremon beside them slowly awoke and stared at his surroundings wide eyes. "Huh? What am I doing here? Was I fighting with you guys?" The three of them nodded in response as they continued to observe Raremon. "That can't be...I feel light headed. Did I catch a virus? But in any case, I'm sorry if I caused any problems while I was half asleep. I'm going to help back home now, see ya." Raremon teleported away as soon as he said his farewell. What he said intrigued Shade greatly but she remembered she had other things to attend to as well. she turned her head slightly to face the boys, "Let's return to DarkmoonCITY. I'm sure Chief Julia has a lot of things to say for your recklessness when we get back so you'd better brace yourselves." The boys shivered at the thought but had no choice so they followed Shade back the the CITY and to their awaiting punishment. Of course they thanked Shade for the timely rescue or at least Ponch did for him and Gutts' behalf. Gutts decided to act tough saying that he could have won if Shade had not gotten in his way. Shade was left speechless as she shrugged it off with a heavy sigh and thought, 'Gutts will never change...'

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**Well there's Chapter 3 and in case you didn't read it in the beginning, my next update will be during the second half of November. Really sry but exams come first! ;) PLS leave a review so that I can improve and make the story more enjoyable for us guys. DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**


	4. Lurking in the Shadows

**Hi I'm back~ Sorry for the long wait and thank you for patiently waiting for the update. **

**Some how when I read the previous Chapters, I felt it was very similar to the compositions I did for school...so I'm going to try to adjust my writing style to make the story less formal and maybe more enjoyable/easier to read. (I think you get what I'm trying to say) So post a review if you have any comments on the change or anything else. Although, the changes may be sooo minimal that you might not notice them.**

**During the weeks that have passed in the fanfic, Shade and gang have obviously been training so don't be confused when their Digimon's form 'suddenly' change and gaining access to new areas brings about new Partner Digimons too. Starting from this chapter, I'll be easing my own events and slight twiks in the plot into the story but I'll will still mostly follow the main plot so no big worries :) **

**Since I never saw Dorothy's Digimon, or I forgot, I decided to give her a Kiwimon as her Champion Digimon. Newton's Digimon, Thundermon, is the Champion form of Kokuwamon (his starter) according to the Digimon Dawn/Dusk evolution line.**

**I'll seriously like to thank SaySaeri , my ONLY reviewer, for reviewing so far! **

**SaySaeri - **Glad to know that someones enjoys this. I was starting to get kind of worried that my fanfic wasn't much to review about DX ! I'll try to break up the paragraphs more but it may take some time because I find them pretty acceptable in length. Well at least I seem to be doing something, my paragraphing, well~ X)  
Yeah, I don't really like Gutts as well. He seems too prideful at times and I'm not really fond of Barone either. She's waay too indecisive it gives me this irritating/weird feeling and a bad impression of her. I can't really describe it... But anyways~ thanks a lot for the wish and please continue reviewing for my future updates~! :)

**Thx for the Favs~  
**** -Georuler**

**AN: I started having a writer's block towards the end of the story but I hope it didn't affect the chapter quality too much. Oh well, enjoy~ :3**

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**Chapter 4 ****- Lurking in the Shadows**

**Normal POV**

Weeks have passed since the Sunken Tunnel investigation and the Union has been working day and night. Ever since the report from Shade came in that the Digimons there were acting oddly too, they became gravely alarmed. There was a possibility that not only were the Sunken Tunnel and Thriller Ruins affected but every other area as well. So the Union doubled their restoration pace and thanks to their efforts, now almost every area were accessible to them.

Not forgetting about the bundle of trouble, Ponch and gang received an earful and a punishment from Chief Julia and Chaos as expected. They were assigned to take over the cleaning duties of the Tamer Home, usually done by Saz, by themselves for three whole weeks. A rather lenient punishment for their life threatening stunt in my opinion. But fortunately for them, they had only one day left.

Tamer Home Lobby

"I can't wait to get this over with!" "Tell me about it...I was going to die from boredem." Ponch and Gutts whined. Behind them, Dorothy sighed. "In the first place, you wouldn't be doing this if you didn't rush into trouble all the time."

"We do not!", they rebutted in unison.

"Hmm~ is that so~? ", she questioned disbelievingly with a raised eyebrow and her arms were crossed at her chest. Shade, Barone and Newton tried to mask their chuckle as the two boys glared daggers at Dorothy. Being careful not to get heard.

"Anyways," Newton tried to lighten the atmosphere, "you should be grateful that you're only stuck with cleaning duties. Who knows what else they might have given." The two looked away with a solemn/forlorn expression. They knew Newton was right, being banned as a Tamer was the last thing any sane person would want. With this in everyones' mind, the atmosphere grew heavier and an awkward yet intense silence loomed over them.

**Shade's POV**

I fidgeted at the uneasiness of the situation as it became worser. Some time passed and no one had spoken up. I could not bear the awkwardness any longer so I abruptly stood up subconsciously. All their attention immediately turned to me and having their gaze focus on me unnerved me. I never liked being the center of attention and I am not good under pressure either. I stuttered while I desperately racked my brain for something to break the tension in the air and my voice trailed off towards the end.

"E-Err...I...m-maybe I should go on another quest..." I shifted in the ever present silence when a loud yell suddenly pierced through the silence.

"I'm so jealous of you, I want to go on quests and adventures too!" yelled Gutts. Everyone was wide-eyed at his outburst and stifled giggles were heard.

"Look who's talking. Do you really think Chief Julia will approve it when you can't even stay out of trouble?" Dorothy rebutted.

"Sure I can! You just wait till I get stronger than you, then we'll see who's talking!" exclaimed Gutts confidently.

"Right...when that happens, pigs will fly." she stated nonchalantly.

The rest of us chuckled at the scene before us as they glared daggers at each other. This happened every few days so we did not bother to stop them anymore. My Digivice at my hip shone and Diana, Lekismon, digitalized beside me. "Hey, let's take on a quest~" Diana prompted. I giggled slightly at the thought that she probably got bored in there. I nodded to her with a smile before turning back to the gang. "I'm heading to the Quest Center for a quest so I'll see you guys later." Dorothy and Newton glanced at each other before running over to me.

"Hey, we're coming along too!" Newton shouted.

"That's right! Its been awhile since we took a quest together." said Dorothy.

"Then let's go." I agreed to the idea. We left the Tamer Home for the Quest Center, leaving trio to continue cleaning up.

* * *

Quest Center

"Hmm...Shade, which quest should we do?"

"I'm fine with any of them, but why not go somewhere different for a change?"

"Then how's this!" Newton pointed to one of the quests over at the Beast Quest Counter. _'Red Shoe_ _Material_'...why not. We agreed on the quest and met up with our client, Armadillomon. Apparently all we had to do was to get some Bark and Paint Oil from Login Mountian so that he could continue making Red Shoes. Easy enough. We made our last minute preparations and headed to Login Mountian.

Login Mountian

The entire area looked like any other typical mountain. Cliffs, rocky paths and mild winds. No different from the last time I came here. We advanced on while fending against the Digimons, Tokomon, Hawkmon, Monodramon etc. and keeping an eye out for the materials. It did not take long to find the Paint Oil but the Bark was no where in sight. We decided to venture deeper into the mountains despite knowing stronger Digimons lurk there. Well, that's where our training comes in.

But it was odd. Usually more Digimons dwelled in the deeper areas but right now, we barely saw any. A bad feeling enveloped me and made me uncomfortable. Although I was not sure if something had actually happened so I decided to keep mum about my gut feeling. Afterall, it would not do us any good if we started getting paranoid of everything around us. I kept my guard up and payed close attention to our surroundings as we approached a large open area.

"Ah, there's some bark over there!" Dorothy exclaimed as she ran towards it. I was about to tell her not to rush ahead when two large shadows engulfed us. Our heads whipped up and our eyes widened as two Airdramons menacingly stared down at us. We subconsciously stepped back in fear and caution. No matter where I looked, we were trapped. We were 'sandwiched' between two angry Digimons infront of us and a tall sturdy cliff was behind us. This is bad.

"_Who _do you think you are, stepping foot into _our_ territory!" one roared. His fierce tone caused Dorothy to tighten her grip on my arm. She whispered to my ear, "What are we going to do now?" I remained silent while pondering on our predicament. Our only way out of this is to fight them, but we we are up against two Champion Digimons. Dorothy and Newton has no experience fighting against Champion Digimons and neither do I. But then again, there is always a first time for everything.

"Too scared to even speak? Why don't we save you the trouble and end your lives right here, right now. How about it?" one asked with anticipation and eagerness.

"Come up with an idea yet, Shade?" Newton asked nervously as the Airdramons were clearly getting impatient.

"We're...going to have to fight them." Dorothy and Newton started at me in shock.

"W-what are you saying?! We can't possibly win against two Champion Digimons right now!" Dorothy exclaimed.

"You can't give up before even trying." I tried to reason with them.

"But-" Dorothy was about to say something when she was cut off by Newton.

"Dorothy, I...I understand what you are trying to say. I feel the same way but we will have to face Champion Digimons in the future whether we want to or not. So now's no different." Dorothy silently agreed with his statement but her eyes were clearly full of doubt and uncertainty.

"Believe in youself but most importantly, always believe in your Digimons." Dorothy and Newton turned to me at this familiar phrase. "Do you remember? Chief Julia always told us that. Never give up till the very end no matter how disadvantaged you are in a battle."

"That's right...I can't believe I actually forgot about it." Dorothy.

"Me too," a short pause, "But what's important now is to believe, right?" Newton. Dorothy nodded in agreement. I grinned as I saw the fire in their eyes.

"Well, isn't that touching. But it doesn't change the fact that you're going to die! Any last words?" An Airdramon prompted our demise.

I swiftly drew my digivice infront of my chest and stared at them with determined eyes. "The outcome isn't decided till the battle ends!"

"Hmph, you brats actually think you can stand a chance against us?! What mockery. What do you suggest we do aniki?" One asked, slightly baffled by our actions.

"What else? We're going to make them regret ever crossing us. Show them no mercy bro!" The Airdramons charged at us but we dodged to the sides with ease. They rammed into the mountain cliff but remained unfazed. An Airdramon's face is covered with a skull helmet to protect itself from enemy attack, so why not against the impact of their ram.

"Dorothy, Newton!" I yelled to get their attention, "Both of you team up and take on one of them while I'll take on the other!" They both nodded, noting that it was our best chance of victory.

* * *

**Normal**** POV**

Shade ran in an opposite direction from Newton and Dorothy with hopes that one of the two Digimon brothers would come after her. Unfortunately, they decided to team up against Dorothy and Newton. 'That's not going to happen!' she thought. She held out her Digivice as it glowed and a large figure emerged.

"**Grand Horn**!" She shouted. The red bird Digimon charged at an Airdramon with extended glowing red tips from the gigantic horns at the side of her head. At the speed that she was flying, the impact easily knock her target down to the rocky ground.

"Aniki! Why you-" The Airdramon was about to attack when he was interrupted by his brother.

"Ignore her bro, she's mine! Deal with the other two." commanded the other Airdramon as he got back up into the air and flew towards Shade.

"**Wind Breath**!" A tornado-like stream of wind erupted from Aquilamon's mouth.

"Don't even think thats going to stop me, **God Tornado**!" Airdramon flapped his wings vigorously creating a strong, violent torrent of wind. The opposing gales collided and a strong shockwave was created from the impact. Everything around them were blown away and Shade struggled to hold her ground as the gales caused her clothes and hair to whip around violently. Neither side let up and their attacks eventually cancelled out each other.

"Tch, not bad. Then try this on for size, **Wind Cutter**!" Airdramon flapped his wings and the almost invisible force of wind approached Aquilamon. Aquilamon, sensing danger, instinctively dodged the attacks and sure enough, the attack embedded two long gashes into the mountain cliff. Shade narrowed her eyes at the damage and turned back to the battle with a slightly troubled expression. 'That was dangerous. I'll have to pay extra close attention for it.'

"Aquilamon, **Grand Horn**!" Shade yelled. The bird Digimon charged at her target but he easily avoided it by soaring higher. However, the assault did not end there. Aquilamon chased after Airdramon and they begun having a dogfight as they maneuvered through the air with sharp turns at high speeds while trying the land a hit on one another. Their swift and agile movements caused them to appear as blurs darting across the sky. Shade was having a hard time trying to keep her eyes on them. As they were nearing a turn, Airdramon unleashed his **Wind Cutter **once again. Aquilamon managed to dodge it in time with her mach speed but he had anticipated that. He swooped behind her and launched numerous air spears with a flap of his wings. Aquilamon let out a loud shriek at the pain and was sent plummeting towards the ground.

"Aquilamon, watch out!" Shade called out to her just in time for her to recover from her fall. Aquilamon flew beside Shade and spoke, "As expected of Airdramon. Looks like the rumours of them being wise were true." Shade nodded in response. "Continue attacking him and try to lure him higher into the sky. When I give the signal, use your speed to catch him off guard." The bird Digimon nodded and resumed her attack.

"Back for more?" He asked mockingly. Aquilamon ignored his comment and tried to claw him with her large talons. Airdramon flapped out of the way and sent numerous air spears at her. Aquilamon dodge them with a strong trust of her wings and flew upwards. Airdramon followed her and thus their ascend began.

"Where do you think you're running off to birdie!" Airdramon.

"Let's see if you can keep up." Aquilamon. Airdramon, falling for the taunt, sped up in attempt to over take her . Once they were quite a height from the ground, Aquilamon discreetly slowed down. This allowed Airdramon to swoop above her.

"I've got you now, **God-**" "AQUILAMON, NOW!" "-**Tornado**!" Shade yelled at the top of her lungs just as Airdramon was about to finish his sentence. Aquilamon immediately heard the signal and as soon as the burst of gales were unleashed, she seemingly disappeared infront of him.

"Wha-" A thunderous roar echoed through the sky and ring-shaped beams slammed into his back at point blank range. Airdramon rapidly fell and before he could recover, the next attack befell him.

"It's not over yet, **Grand Horn**!" Aquilamon rocketed from her position with a burst of speed. The moment her horns came into contact with Airdramon, he was sent shooting out of the sky like a cannonball. The impact from his fall shattered the ground and caused some chunks of rock to jut went to Shade as Airdramon laid unconscious at the center of the destruction. Aquilamon slowly flew to her side, slightly exhausted from the battle.

"That was a great battle. Thanks for your hardwork, Aquilamon." Shade thanked her with a warm smile. Aquilamon nodded in acknowledgement before she digitalised back into the Digivice. With her battle finally over, Shade turned her gaze to her friends. The battle was ending over at Dorothy's and Newton's side as well.

"Thundermon, **Thunder Ball**!" "Kiwimon, **Pummel Peck**!" Newton and Dorothy shouted in unison as Airdramon missed them with his **Spinning Needle **attack. Thundermon and Kiwimon who had dodge to the sides unleashed a barrage of electrifying spheres and ChibiKiwimons. The attack knocked Airdramon down and he laid sprawled over the ground, obviously too weak to attack anymore.

"Alright we won!" Newton and Dorothy cheered over their victory as Shade made her way to them. Dorothy noticed Shade and asked her how was her match.

"It ended slightly before yours." She replied with a smile. Before they could continue with their 'victory celebration', sounds of something moving and groaning caught their attention.

"Ugh, what happened?" "Where are we?" The Airdramon brothers asked themselves as they slowly sat up.

"Huh, you mean you guys don't remember?" Newton asked.

"N-no...last I remembered, we were flying around Highlight Haven." Airdramon replied while slightly shaking his head, trying to get rid of his mild headache.

"That's right although I remembered that my body suddenly felt like lead and everything just blacked out." His brother added on. Shade, Dorothy and Newton looked at each other with worried expressions as they thought of the same possible reason for their situation.

"We think that you guys were affected by a virus but we managed to get rid of it when we won against the both of you." Shade explained briefly to them.

"Virus? Won?" One was clearly confused. "Wait I think I remembered fighting with you guys just now. I felt oddly eager for violence...was that the work of the virus?" The other one asked.

"That's right." Dorothy replied.

Airdramon shook his head while trying to process the situation and information. "Arg everythings' like a blur right now...but what I do know is that you helped us so I thank you." Both Airdramons bowed their heads slightly in gratitude before flying back up into the air.

"I think we'd better head back to home but if there's anything we can help with, just find us." "That's right. Afterall, we owe you guys one." Shade and gang thanked them for their offer and they said their goodbyes.

"Hmm..the union said that the number of Digimons infected with the virus has decreased but I guess that there are still lots of them roaming around." Dorothy stated.

"Yup so we'd better keep our guards up no matter where we are." Dorothy and Newton agreed with Shade. Out of the blue, a loud and distinct growling sound was heard. Newton blushed and scratched the back of his head with his hand.

"Eheheh, looks like all that action made me hungry." The group bursted into laughter.

"Way to lighten up the tension Newton." Dorothy said inbetween her laughing**.**

"I agree but let's head back to the CITY. I think we all need some rest...and some food." Shade chuckled while wiping off some tears at the corner of her eyes. She took out a GateDisk and light surrounded them. In a flash of light, they teleported back to DarkmoonCITY.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the group, a shadowed figure was observing the battle from the top of the cliff. She left her concealed spot as soon as the group left. 'Hmm...that was some what entertaining.' she mused to herself. Seconds later, another figure appeared beside her.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"The Moon is maturing steadily. Looks like Master's patience will be rewarded." She licked her lips seductively. "I can't wait for her to ripen~"

"I don't know what the boss is thinking letting them get stronger. It will only trouble us unnecessarily." He stated.

"Are you complaining?" She teased.

"Hmph, AS IF! The stronger they are, the better it is for me. I can't wait to to go all out and obliterate them off the face of the Digital World!" The male shouted with bloodlust in his eyes. The female figure snickered.

"So how were things on your side?"

"The Sun's a feisty one. Well at least the kid's improving but at their current level, they're nothing but flies to us."

"I agree but for now, Master will be pleased with their progress." She turned to him, "We better go and report to him the good news."

"Then let's go already. I've had enough of the area." With that said, the two figures teleported away. Just who were those mysterious figures and what were they talking about?

* * *

**Some word meanings:  
**-**Dogfight is a term used to refer to two (or more) planes in combat.**

-**Mach speed refers to very high speeds like on fighter jets...i think.**

-**Point blank range is at a very close range.**

**So how did you guys find my first original event? Seems like a mystery is emerging doesn't it? Well I hope it felt natural enough to fit into the story.**

**Thank you for reading and don't forget to REVIEW. Remember the more reviews i get, the more motivated I'll be to upload the next chapter~ :)**


	5. A New Area and A New Danger

**Chapter 5 is finally here! Sorry for the super long wait guys! Well I guess as a form of apology, I made this chapter exceedingly longer. I have a part time job right now till the end of Feb so I don't really have much time to spend typing out new chapter so please bear with me. I have to work on 5 days a week for 44 hours in total, including weekends. I'm glad that you readers liked my twist to the story and I'll try to short my update time.**

**Thanks for the reviews~! **

**My reply to the Reviews~**

**Ultimate Black Ace -** I'm glad you like this Fanfic^^ I also like your suggestion of showing Dawn and Dusk's side of the story and about the Protagonists' Digimon list. It can certainly clear some confusion, doubts or questions the readers may have, bring new insights to the story plot and help with the Protagonists' development. I'll try to write from Kou's side of the story but since I never played/completed Dawn, I'll be writing it based on how I see and think it should be from Digimon Dusk's story. As for the battles...I'll see what I can do about them :)

**Crossroader32 - **Hahas thanks! I'm glad that you liked my twist to the story. I'll try to keep up the standard of my chapters so please keep supporting me~

**Here's a list of Digimons each Protagonist has and have been revealed in the past chapters. (Not including any changes in this Chapter)**

**Shade's Digimon**  
**-Lekismon (Diana)**  
**-Goburimon (Kageru)**  
**-Palmon (Alora)**  
**-Aquilamon ( - )**  
**- ?**  
**- ?**

**Kou's Digimon**  
**-Coronamon (?)**  
**-Reppamon (Ciel)**  
**- ?**  
**- ?**  
**- ?**  
**- ?**

**There's a reason why Aquilamon doesn't have a nickname but it won't be revealed till a few chapters later. Anyone would know that Coronamon will be on Kou's team so I decided to reveal the Rookie Digimon. This chapter will be from Koh's POV :) Enjoy~**

* * *

**Chapter 5 - A New Area and A New Danger**

**Normal POV**

SunshineCITY, Tamer Home

A boy sat on his bed and gazed out of his window deep in thought. His bright orange hair shifted against the gentle breeze. He let out a small sigh as he plopped back onto his bed with his arms crossed behind his head. Lately, his mind has been in a whirl. Too many weird things have happened. His black eyes stared at the ceiling as he recapped what happened yesterday.

* * *

**Flashback~**

**Kou's POV**

I was on a quest in Chip Forest. My client, Veemon, wanted me to search for a L-Mushroom that grows there. Apparently he wanted to eat one but could not find any when he went. This was going to be a piece of cake!

When I was teleported to the area, I found myself within a lush, dense forest. Everything was normal at first. I fought off some Kunemons, Mushroomons and Tanemons while searching for a L-Mushroom. As I ventured deeper into the forest, I started encountering some Goburimons and Bearmons. I finally managed to find a L-Mushroom in the deepest part of the forest. No wonder Veemon could not find it. However before I could get to the mushroom, I spotted some sort of projectile heading towards me from the corner of my eye. I instinctively stumbled out-of-the-way in the nick of time.

The projectile sliced off some strands of my hair and it sliced through the thick tree trunk that was initially infront of me. Tracing the path of the attack back to its source, my eyes widened as they landed on the giant flower Digimon, Blossomon. My alarms immediately went off. WHATS AN ULTIMATE DIGIMON DOING HERE?! MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT'S ATTACKING ME! I swallowed my saliva nervously as I warily waited for his next move.

"Hn~ So you managed to get out of the way huh... Too bad. It could have ended swiftly and painlessly but it looks like you've chosen the hard way to go." Blossomon chuckled evilly, "You'd better be prepare to face lots of pain boy, **Spiral Flower**!" He swung his thorny vine-like arms and the tiny flowers growing from its tips were sent flying at me. My adrenaline pumped vigorously as I desperately jumped around like a clown in attempt to dodge the barrage of flower shurikens. The shurikens barely missed me but my clothes were shredded in some areas, several shallow cuts decorated my skin, more of hair got trimmed off and I ended up falling roughly against the ground. I hastily got up and tried to reason with him. Do not get me wrong, of course I love battles and facing strong opponents but I'm NOT suicidal...only against strong opponents who want to kill me though~

"Why are you trying to kill me?"

"Saa~ Why should I bother explaining myself to a brat who's going to die?!" The tiny flowers quickly grew back on his arms and he got into a fighting stance. Tch, looks like there's no way out of this. I held out my crimson DigiVice and it began to shine. Just as Blossomon was about to launch a second barrage of flower shurikens, Firamon, Coronamon's Champion form, digitalised infront of me.

"Nova, **Fira Bomb**!" Nova, Firamon, focused power into its forehead and unleashed a flaming bomb which managed to burn the incoming attack.

"Grrr, fire...how troublesome." Blossomon grumbled with an annoyed tone. I started feeling slightly confident and smirked. Blossomon, being a Vegetation Digimon, is bound to take a lot of damage from fire type attacks. Maybe, just maybe we might be able to scrape through this battle. However, something odd happened. Blossomon started to laugh maniacally. What is he laughing at? "...naive...too naive." Huh? What is he talking about? I was clearly puzzled by his words. "If you think such a puny fire is going to defeat me, you'd better think again! **Thorn Whip**!" In one swift movement, one of his thorny vine-like arms extended and violently slammed against Nova's side. The 'flying lion' Digimon crashed through two trees with ease and badly shattered the third one.

"Nova!" I dashed over to the fallen Digimon and as soon as Nova's figure came into clear view, I started to panic. His body was covered with bruises and scratches and he was clearly struggling to get up again to no avail. Nova was my best chance against him and yet he was this badly hurt from only one attack. My body was shaking uncontrollably from fear. How am I going to get out of this mess? Is there even a way?!

"Just give up. Don't you see it's all futile? No matter how hard you try, you can never win against me with your weak Digimon. After all, a mere Champion Digimon will never defeat an Ultimate Digimon like me! Muahahaha!" Damn it, is this how it's going to end? Before he could launch the final blow, a loud commanding voice interrupted him.

"That is enough. You may return."

"What?! There is no way I'll back off now especially when I'm finally about to kill the brat!" Blossomon was definitely not pleased with what he was hearing but neither was the owner of the mysterious voice.

"ARE YOU DISOBEYING ME?!" His voice echoed thunderously throughout the forest. Shivers were sent down my spine and my entire body instantly froze.

"E-Erg..."Blossomon stammered and quickly bowed down in no particular direction. "P-Please forgive my rudeness." Apparently he was greatly affected by the voice as well.

"Very well, but you'd better watch that tongue of yours the next time you speak to me. I'm sure you are well aware of what happens to Digimons who dare cross me!" The voice spoke threateningly.

"I-I understand, it won't happen again." Blossomon bowed slightly lower in gratitude before slowly raising his head and turned to me. "Consider yourself lucky boy. Looks like you'll get to live...for now." Before I could respond, a blast of purple-black unholy energy was unleashed in between us from my right. The shock of the impact sent me skidding and stumbling backwards. By the time I could finally snap open my eyes, they were gone.

**End of Flashback**

**AN: Remember that in Chapter 4 it was mentioned that the Sun, Kou as some of you have already guessed it, was improving. I know that he seems really weak here but just because he improved doesn't mean that he has to kick ass here. After all, he was up against an Ultimate Digimon with a champion Digimon one-on-one. Oh and who knows how long have the mysterious figures have been watching them. Even I don't know ;P**

* * *

Blossmons are docile Digimons and they definitely do not live in Chip Forest. So just what were they doing there? And that voice...to make someone like that Blossomon cower so much...just how insanely strong is he? Also, it is possible that the voice was someone superior from all the authority it seemed to have. Could they both be serving under someone? I pondered over the event but after awhile, I could not take it any more.

"Arg, I don't get it!" I yelled out in frustration as I abruptly sat up and started messing up my hair. The more I think about it, the more confused I get. My head was also hurting a little from all the thinking. I heaved a heavy sigh. I have been doing that a lot lately.

A knock on my door snapped me out of my thoughts/brooding. I slowly walked towards the door, still slightly bothered by my thoughts. When I opened the door, a white cat Digimon stood in front of me. Flo, a Gatomon and the Tamer Home's NaviDigimon, stared at me before sighing slightly.

"Kou, I don't know what you're mopping/brooding about but staying in your room for the entire morning won't help with anything." My drool/droll eyes continued to stare at Flo before her words started to sink in. Entire morning? I turned my head and looked up at the sky. The sun was hanging high up in the sky. I did not realize it was already nearing noon. While I was absentminded, Flo got behind me and pushed me out of my room.

"Try getting some fresh air. It usually clears your mind." Flo looked at me with a gentle smile. From the serious look in her cat eyes, I knew she would not take no for an answer.

"A-ah, s-sure..." I stuttered, still slightly surprised by Flo's sudden action. Seeing as I had no choice but to do so, I reluctantly walked to the TPGate (Teleportation Gate) at the Tamer Home's entrance. I stepped onto the TPGate and was teleported to the **CITY Square** in a flash of light. After my vision adjusted from the teleportation, I saw that everyone was cheerfully carrying out their usual daily routines but I could only stare at them emotionlessly as I walked pass them.

Everywhere I looked, I saw their smiles and laughter but it made me felt so empty. I couldn't feel any genuine warmth from anyone anymore, including my friends. It was as if they were not...how do you say it...it was like we were strangers. No, more like it was just an act. Like they were forcing on their smile and cheery attitudes. My eyes widened immediately when I realised the kind of thoughts I had and I fiercely banished them. I must be getting extremely paranoid because of the virus affecting the Digital World. I'm sure that everyones' just worn out and on edge/jumpy from it. Nothing more.

**AN: Ok for those of you who are wondering why Kou had such thoughts but brushed it off as him being paranoid, think of it this way: with all the tense situation of Digimons behaving strangely and being seemingly controlled, caused by the virus, he is thinking too much about it. **

When I looked up, I found myself standing infront of the Shine Center. I really did not feel like taking a quest but Flo's right. It would most likely clear my mind. I entered the building and was making my way to the counter when Seraphimon called out to me.

"Ah Kou, you came at the right time. Chief Glare wanted to see you for another quest." Another Union Quest...talk about timing. I did not want anyone else to notice my gloomy state so I put on a smile and waved back to him.

"Alright, then I'd better get going. Thanks for telling me Seraphimon!"

* * *

**Normal POV**

Union Room

As Kou ran up to the platform where Chief Glare was on, he also spotted Gaoh, a guy, and Lyla, a girl, two higher ranking Tamers. Upon his arrival, Gaoh and Lyla glanced at him before turning to each other and then to Chief Glare. With a simple nod from him, the two tamers got the signal and left. After they exited the Union Room, Chief Glare, Cera and Kou saluted like they usually do.

"I've been waiting for you Kou. Gaoh and Lyla are already on it, but I want you to go investigate Limit Valley, the DigiArea where a link was recently restored to, as well." Chief Glare informed him. Cera turned slightly to Glare deep in thought like she was pondering about something then turned back to Kou.

"We're counting on you. Just be careful Kou." Cera told him with a concerned tone. Kou nodded and the three of them saluted again before he departed.

Limit Valley

"Hmm~ So this is Limit Valley..." Limit Valley looked very similar to Login Mountain. Both areas have a mountainous and rocky terrain. 'Alright, let's gets this done and over with but I might as well try to have some fun while I'm at it.' Kou thought. His crimson DigiVice shone and a serpent-like Digimon emerged.

"Ready for some action, Haru?" He asked Haru, his Sunflowmon. Haru just firmly nodded with a small smile as an indication that she was ready for whoever they would face. Kou grinned and begun his investigation as he ventured deeper into the mountains. The Digimons that appeared were only Rookie Digimons and some Champion Digimons and they were easily defeated by Haru, Sunflowmon. The investigation had already gone on for an hour and nothing was unusual. Kou mind started to wander as he paid less attention to the 'boring battles'. 'I thought this quest was supposed to make me feel better, not bored and sleepy.' Kou complained in his mind. He made his way up a ladder and after some walking, he was nudged by his Digimon. Kou broke out of his thoughts and looked at what Haru was staring at. There in front of him, a purple egg-shaped creature floated. 'What, is that?' Kou mentally asked.**  
**

"Heheheheh. Welcome...I've been waiting, Tamer of a dying Union." It spoke.

"Who are you!" Kou questioned.

"You call refer to me as Mystic Energy. Now since you've taken the trouble to come to me, I'm going to give you your new orders" The Mystic Energy muttered evilly. It was the same mysterious purple egg that appeared in DarkmoonCITY shortly after the Rookie Tournament.

"Like hell I'll ever listen to you!" Kou yelled but he was slightly taken back by its statement.

"Hmph, you can't defy me. After all, don't you see that resistance is futile." The Mystic Energy stated nonchalantly. In a flash of light, a Seasarmon suddenly appeared behind Kou. 'Damn, don't tell me...' Before Kou could finish his thought, he was interrupted by its voice.

"Seasarmon, defeat this Tamer!" The Digimon obediently sprang to attack and so did Kou's Sunflowmon, Haru. '**Tee Dia**!' Seasarmon fired countless holy arrows of sunlight at Haru. She flew out of the way and waved her tail-like stalk, firing off its thorns, '**Cactus Tail**!'. The thorns pierced into Seasarmon and before he could recover, Haru followed up with her '**Smiley Slap**'. Her huge arm smacked Seasarmon and he was sent crashing into a nearby boulder. The boulder cracked and Seasarmon motionlessly dropped on the ground. The Mystic Energy stared at the unconscious Digimon indifferently before turning back to Kou.

"I have to hand it to a Union Tamer...Seasarmon was no match for you." Kou smirked as he felt he was winning but it was short lived when three SandYanmamon appeared behind him. "Then how about this? Think you can win?" It snickered. Kou sweatdropped, 'New ones?! Will this even end after I defeat them? It'll probably just call out more...' .

"Hey, stop picking on our rookies." 'That voice!', Kou mentally shouted. Beyond the SandYanmamons, Gaoh and Lyla had arrived.

"Let us handle the grunts. You go and teach him not to mess with us." Gaoh told Kou.

"That's right, don't underestimate the Light Fang!" Lyla shouted. Kou grinned widely and turned back the the Mystic Energy.

"You'd better be prepared to lose to the Light Fang!" Kou yelled as he prepared to face the Mystic Energy.

"Heheheheh, how feisty...but your existence isn't needed in this world. So you'll all be deleted right here, right now." The purple egg glowed with an eerie, dim light and its form totally changed. In front of Kou now stood the Champion Digimon, Grimmon. Everybody were stunned and speechless by its transformation. "How about we go a little further back. We won't want anyone butting in now do we? But just in case..." Even more SandYanmamons appeared and the swarm surrounded Gaoh and Lyla.

"Guys!" Kou shouted with concern.

"Don't worry about us, just go on! We'll catch up with up as soon as we can!" Lyla shouted back. Kou hesitantly ran after Grimmon who was already waiting at the other end of the area. Haru flew near him as the battle was about to begin.

"Well, let's have some fun boy. **Black Blast**!" Grimmon fired an energy ball of darkness at Haru who dodged it.

"Haru, **Sunshine Beam**!" Kou shouted to her as she flew higher. "On it!" The petals on Haru's sunflower face shone and rays of sunlight were fired from all of them. The attack hit Grimmon's body, creating a small explosion. Grimmon barely staggered back but he immediately retaliated by slashing Haru with a powerful and quick crisscross attack. Haru flew back considerably far. 'He's strong...' Kou thought bitterly but no way was he going to give up without a fight.

"**Cactus Tail**!" The thorns at the end of Haru's tail were fired but they missed as Grimmon moved his snake-like body.

"Too slow, **Power Cutter**!" In an instant, Grimmon launched his body forward and slashed her with another of his crisscross attack. This time, Haru plummeted to the ground.

"Haru!" Kou yelled out with worry. Behind Kou where she had crashed, Haru was struggling to get up. 'Damn it's true that Sunflowmons aren't fast but her attack seemed like it didn't affect him at all! Erg...looks like he's strong against insect/plant type attacks.' Kou knew he was going to have a hard time if he doesn't do something quick.

**AN: I decided to make Sunshine Beam an insect/plant type attack since I didn't know what type it actually was and although sunshine is light, it just gave me the idea of photosythesis.**

Out of the blue, an energy ball of darkness slammed right into Haru. Everything seemed to play in slow motion. Haru collapsed onto the ground and remain motionless. Kou turned back to Grimmon to see him pointing his arm with a cannon-like-tip at Haru's direction. He shifted his arm and locked onto Kou. His low, sinister laugh echoed in Kou's head.

"You shouldn't get distracted in a battle you know." Grimmon stated evilly. The interior of his gun started to get brighter as he prepared for his next attack. Then, everything seemed to play at their original speed again and a purple energy in the shaped of a fist suddenly slammed into Grimmon's chest. He fell backwards from the impact and his attack was deactivated.

"Kou!" A familiar feminine voice called out from behind. Kou quickly turned his upper body around and his eyes widened. There behind him stood a long violet haired girl with dark purple eyes, also known as his rival, and her Ogremon.

"Shade! What are you doing here?" Kou asked in shock.

"P-Probably the s-same reason as you. Chief Julia wanted us to i-investigate Login Mountain." Shade shuttered slightly and her eyes avoided eye contact like she always did when she talked with boys she was not too familiar with.

"Then did you see two Light Fang Tamers on you way here? How were they?" The questions rolled of Kou's tongue almost immediately.

"T-They were having a hard time s-so two my seniors went to help them and they t-told me to meet up with you just in case." Shade replied.

"Hnnn~ looks like I don't have to worry about them anymore. Oh and thanks but I can beat this guy by myself!" Kou said with fake confidence and jabbed his thumb at himself. Shade's expression fell a little at the thought that she could not be of any help. There was a long pause before Kou sighed in defeat, "...is what I want to say but it'll be way easier with your help." Shade's face brightened back up at his words. "Also, I have this felling that he's hiding something." Shade opened her mouth to say something but was cut off.

"Urg, that stung." Grimmon got up irritably and noticed Shade. "Tch look likes another one of you annoying Union Tamers decided to appear. No matter, the result will still be the same." Grimmon's body dimly glowed purple but it rapidly faded away. Both Tamers cautiously stared at their opponent. There was no noticeable change but they had a gut feeling it was important. **  
**

"Shade, use that same attack as before. He seemed weak against it." Kou decided to stick to the seemingly most effective way against Grimmon and Shade complied.

"Got it! Kageru, **Pummel** **Whack**!" Shade's Ogremon drew back his arm and punched the air. The same purple fist was fired towards Grimmon but instead of dodging or bracing for the impact, he merely smacked away the attack with his arm. He immediately slashed at them with powerful quick crisscross attacks before they could fully register what had happened. All of them managed to barely avoid it in time but the force of the impact caused them to lose their balance and tumble on the ground.

"It didn't work?!" Kou shouted in disbelief and thought, 'Why? He seemed weak against that move just a while ago and now, it's like he's strong against it! Arg, what the heck is going on here?!'

"Hmmph, the same thing won't work against me twice!" Grimmon stated smugly. Kou was frustrated. Just when he thought he had found his weakness, it did not affect him anymore. Was Shade's attack...just a fluke? Kou inwardly groaned, 'Looks like I'll just have to beat him the old fasion way, with brute force!' He held out his crimson DigiVice as it shone and a Digimon somewhat similar to a horse appeared. The Digimon was black and she held an enormous dart as a weapon.

"Alright Titania, let's crush him!" Titania, a black KnightChessmon, charged towards Grimmon, who briefly glowed white, at a high speed. She swung her dart like a sword and he used his arm with a metallic 'hook' at the tip for both offense and defense. The sound of metal clashing rang in the air and small sparks were created. Watching all the action occurring before her, Shade turned to her Digimon.

"Kageru, we cant let them hog all the action now can we?" Shade hinted to him. Kageru, Ogremon, quickly caught it and grinned widely.

"I was beginning to wonder when I can bash something up." After Kageru said that, he sprinted towards the other two and engaged in their close combat fight. Their exchange of attacks were relentless and it lasted for a long time. At one point Grimmon seemed to be getting slowly overwhelmed in the 2 against 1 battle but with a strong swing of his arm, his attackers jumped back.

"Arg, you brats are so annoying! Just die already!" Grimmon hollered. He fired his **Black Blast**, which was easily avoided by them but as they were in midair, he attacked Kageru with his **Power Cutter**. Kageru was swiftly slashed across his chest in a crisscross manner and crashed into the ground. He became too wounded to continue fighting in addition to the injuries he sustained during their exchange of attacks. Shade quickly returned Kageru back into her black Digivice and a fox Digimon came out.

"Yang give it your all, **Fox Tail Inferno**!" The blue flames with ghostly faces appeared on Yang's, Kyubimon's, tail. The blue ghostly flames became small fireballs which she launched at Grimmon. The flames flew through the air it's energy exploded on impact. Loud 'booms' were heard and Grimmon flew backwards. Kou narrowed his eyes at this as he thought, 'Huh, now he's weak against fire?' Shade watched Grimmon intently as he got up and shook off some tiny rocks while he faintly glowed red. At that moment, things started to click in her head.

**Shade's POV**

From the start of the battle, I have been paying close attention to Grimmon and his odd 'ability'. Since I had joined the battle, he glowed three times in three different colors but that mean anything. I remained silent almost through out the entire battle as I pondered on any possible explanation. Just when I was about to give up with figuring it out, something struck me. Well when you think about it that way...ah, I got it!

"Kou, I have a hunch about something." This single sentence drew his full attention. "At first when Grimmon got hit by Kageru's **Pummel Whack**, he seemed weak against it but after he glowed purple, it had no effect. When our Digimon went in for close combat, he glowed white and now he glowed red after being thrown back by Yang's attack." Kou raised one of his eyebrow as if questioning me with a 'so'. I noticed that look and further explained, "**Pummel Whack **is a dark attack, **F****ox Tail Inferno **is a fire attack and the close combat earlier were physical attacks so think about it this way: what if the color of the glow has something to do with the type of attacks he's up against?" Kou's eyes widened as realization sunk in.

"So that means he becomes strong to the type of attack that matches with the color of the glow." He got it. I was about to say that it was just a probability when our enemy chuckled in a low yet creepy way.

"Bingo." I was shocked when he admitted how he's 'ability' worked so casually. "Looks like you pesky Tamers aren't just all brawn and no brain. Well, at least for the girl." A tick mark appeared on Kou's face and I could tell that he did not like that comment one bit.

"Arg, I've had enough of you! Shade stand back. This fight is now between me and him. There is no way I'm going to let him off easily after that indirect insult." Kou shouted.

"Oh~ and what could a kid like you do to me by yourself?" Grimmon taunted Kou and a second tick mark appeared on his face.

"Titania pulverize him, **Gallop Whole**!" Kou yelled in a pissed off tone. Yang returned to my side as I watch Titania, black KnightChessmon, leap high into the sky. Grimmon glowed white again moments before she landed a blow on him. Normally the attack would trample her opponent but it only managed to push him back a little.

"Hmmph, is that the best you can do? You may have had a chance against me together with the girl but its impossible alone for you." Kou smirked.

"We'll see about that." Kou had an almost unnoticeable glint in his eyes. He was clearly up to something. Grimmon was able to fend off his continuous assault but after awhile, I noted that he was beginning to get sluggish but so was Kou's Digimon. Although the damage was not a lot, it had accumulated.

"It's time to end this!" Grimmon shouted and Kou agreed.

"**Power Cutter**!"

"Titania, **Knight Lancer**!" The both of them yelled out their final attack in sync. Grimmon trusted his body forward while Titania tilted her enormous dart and charged at him. The distance between them rapidly decreased and in a split second, they crossed each other with a sound of something being slashed. Nobody move for awhile and the silence was suffocating. After what seemed like half a minute, Titania collapsed. I could not believe it, Kou actually lost. I turned to him and was at a loss of words to find him grinning.

"Muahahaha I won and you lost. It's finally over!" Grimmon laughed.

"Oh it's over all right. Over for you!" Kou shouted and I stared at him in confusion. Suddenly, a bright yellow beam was shot at Grimmon's back and he weakly collapsed onto the ground. I traced the attack back to it's source and was surprised to find out that it came from the previously unconscious Sunflomon. I did not realize that Sunflomon was still there. Did Kou plan that surprise attack? I glanced back at Kou who as now returning his Digimons back into his crimson Digivice and a gentle, soft smile graced my lips. Looks like he's not as reckless as I thought.

**Kou's POV**

Alright, I won! Serves him right. That will show him never to look down on me! Before I could celebrate further, I heard multiple footsteps getting closer.

"Nice going Kou, that was awesome!" I quickly turned around and saw Gaoh, Lyla and two Night Crow Tamers. Shade and me ran towards them. When we got to them, I barely heard something move. I looked back and saw Grimmon shakily got up and slumped slightly.

"Tch not bad kid, not bad...looks like I underestimated all of you. I'll bid my farewell for now but remember this, you will all perish by the hands of one of your own." Grimmon disappeared as soon as he spoke finish.

"What was he doing here anyway...?" Gaoh was the first one to speak up.

"Who knows?" Lyla replied.

"Well putting that aside...that wasn't bad rookies." One of the Night Crow Tamer commented.**  
**

"That's right. Keep it up so you don't tarnish your clan's name." Lyla told me and I scratch my cheek with my finger. The other Night Crow stretched and spoke.

"We're going to report this to Chief Julia. Currently it seems like weird things keep happening one after another."

"I agree. We're going to report back at our side too and we have to do our best to restore the link between both our CITYs before something happens." The seniors nodded and continued discussing some other stuff I didn't pay attention to so I decided to talk to Shade.

"Thanks for your help Shade." Shade did not get what I was referring to so I continued. "If you hadn't figured out Grimmon's trick and helped me weaken him, I don't think I could have won." I was expecting a simple 'your welcome' but she giggled. Huh did I say something funny?

"Sorry about that, I-I didn't mean to laugh. I-It's just that I don't think I could have won by myself either." I stared at her thinking that she was lying. "I-I...I-I'm not lying!" she promptly defended herself. I didn't even say anything and she knew I thought its was a lie...seems like she's good at reading people. "At first I thought that you were just plain reckless and just enjoyed fighting for the sake of it." I stared at her blankly. Is that so... "B-But I realized that wasn't true. Your eyes looked so determined and happy when you fought." Shade started to blush hard. Maybe this was something embarrassing for her to say. "W-What I'm trying to say is that I can tell that you'll become a great Light Fang Tamer in the future and I hope that we get t-to fight together again a-as...as f-friends." Shade trailed off towards the end. I felt myself blush instantly and could not help but smile. Man, she really knows how to talk. She has no idea how much those words mean to me.

"You got that right so you'd better do your best to become a great Night Crow Tamer too. Oh and stop stammering so much. You don't have to be scared or anything around me." I grabbed her with my arm over her neck, "After all, we're friends and rivals right?" I saw her eyes glisten as she nodded with a warm smile.

"Hey Kou we're leaving already." I knew that voice belonged to Lyla and I released Shade. Lyla and Gaoh were already a few miles away from me.

"Ah coming!" I said goodbye to Shade as I made my way to them, "Well see you next time Shade." She smiled and waved goodbye. Once the three of us got together, we teleported out of the area with a GateDisk.

* * *

**Normal POV**

Union Center

Once the trio reached SunshineCITY, they immediately reported to Chief Glare. They discussed about the situation that occurred at Limit Valley and the reason why Grimmon was there. After a while, Cera voiced her thoughts.

"This enemy and the enemy that destroyed CITY...they could both the same individual."

"That is possible but I'm more concerned about what he meant by '_perish by the hands of one of our own.' "_ Gaoh replied and pointed out what he thought what was the most pressing issue they should address.

"Could there be a traitor among us?" Lyla spoke grimly. Chief Glare sighed softly and shook his head.

"There's no way of telling for now but it is also very likely that they are thinking the same thing as us."

"Since we can't communicate with DarkmoonCITY now, we should be careful not to speak of such things lightly." Cera reminded the Tamers.

"At any rate, we don't have enough information on this yet so let's carefully conduct our investigation." Everyone nodded in response and Chief Glare turned to Kou, "Now Kou...well done. I'm glad to have such a talented Tamer as a member of Light Fang. We'll be looking forward to you future performance." Kou scratched the back of his head sheepishly and his face was slightly flushed.

"Well done everyone and keep up the good work! You can collect your reward at Shine Center." Chief Glare announced.

"Yes Sir!" The trio responded in unison as they saluted and left for the Shine Center. On their way there, Gaoh and Lyla kept teasing Kou much to his discomfort. However on the inside, Kou felt very refreshed and was back to his cheerful, happy-go-lucky self. Looks like things weren't all that bad. After all, the surprise encounter had actually benefited someone.

* * *

**So how did you guys find Chapter 5? Personally, I wasn't too satisfied with the ending but it'll have to do. Well Chapter 6 won't be coming out anytime soon so please be patient. Also I would really appreciate it if you guys leave a review. So...PLEASE REVIEW :) (I was rushing towards the end and with the chapter title so don't mind me)**


	6. Major Recap

**Hey guys~! Here's Chapter 6...FINALLY. Lol, sorry for the extremely long delay but I'm just too slow and LAZY to actually focus on this. Yep, the main reason is because I'm VERY lazy. XP I will tell all of you in advance that my next update would probably be a month and a half later if I feel like it but three months later if I'm not in the mood. Hahas...don't say I didn't warn you~ Don't worry though, I WILL see this story story till the very end!**

**Also, it's safe to say that my subsequent updates would more or less follow the rough timing stated above. Reason why? Well school's starting in April and I'll be going to Japan for a one week holiday^^! Yay me~ Alright, lets not go too off tangent and continue with my replies. =3**

**Btw if you want to check the status of my Fanfic(s), writing and update speed, just check my profile once in awhile. I'll keep it updated whenever I can. Also if any of you are wondering why the main characters are doing such unimportant quests, then please read my reply to **Ultimate Black Ace's** comment below :)**

**Thanks for the reviews~!**

**Ultimate Black Ace - **Hahas that's good. I didn't want one to be overpowered or have a case of being biased. Actually for the Dawn storyline, I followed a walkthrough on YouTube so I just picked whatever quest he took. I would think that The Union staff would be busily taking care of the reconstruction so that the other Tamers and Digimons could continue their daily lives and duties. After all, I don't think they'll allow simply everyone to tamper with the CITY's main server so I don't think the main characters can help with the reconstruction except for some errands pertaining to it.

Hmm...'_Also, don't be afraid to diverge from the storylines, there are a ton of holes and gaps._' ...that's extremely worrying.

'_You could change them up a bit to make them more realistic._' Wow that'll be hard but I'll try.

**MiharuOftheWhiteSea - **Thanks for the review and I glad you like it. ^^ Sorry for the really long wait but for some reason, I can't seem to update fast for this Fanfic. I guess I don't have that much motivation and inspiration to work on this. But don't worry! I WILL see this story till the very end.

**Note: This will pretty much be a filler because I have totally no motivation to plan out what comes next and how to twist so that it won't be a pure canon when I first started this Chapter. Afterall, a retelling of the original story is just plain BORING...at least to me.**

**This chapter will pretty much focus on training** **(**level grinding to fellow gamers ;) **)** **and** **the events that have happened in the past in a summary. To some of you, you may see this as a chapter to join the events and give a somewhat sense of time in this Fic.**

**Here's a list of Digimons each Protagonist has and have been revealed in the past chapters. (Not including any changes in this Chapter)**

**Shade's Digimon**  
**-Lekismon (Diana)**  
**-Ogremon (Kageru)**  
**-Palmon (Alora)**  
**-Aquilamon ( - )**  
**-Kyubimon (Yang)**  
**- ?**

**Kou's Digimon**  
**-Firamon (Nova)**  
**-Reppamon (Ciel)**  
**-Sunflomon (Haru)**  
**-Black KnightChessmon (Titania)**  
**- ?**  
**- ?**

**Enjoy~ :)**

* * *

**Chapter 6 - Major Recap**

**Normal POV**

Thriller Ruins

"Again! Don't expect yourself to last if you can't even survive this level of training! We have to be prepared for whatever comes next!" Chief Julia shouted from an elevated platform infront of the group. Scattered over the empty field at Thriller Ruins , many Tamers from varying ranks were pinned against each other in intense practice matches. It's been roughly two weeks since the battle against Grimmon and nothing new has happened. Everything was too quiet like the calm before a storm and it unnerved many. Their intense training started a few days after the battle with Grimmon, under the strict guidance of Chief Julia. Her serious and strict demeanor, together with her skills, as a Tamer was most likely what earned her the position of Chief. With the way the virus has evolved along with Grimmon's worrying words, the Night Crow decided not to take any risks and prepare for the unimaginable.

"Dorothy, don't be so reserved and work more on your offense! Newton, concentrate! Gutts stop rushing recklessly into battle, and Shade!" Julia hopped off the platform and walked towards Shade just as the she won her match. "I understand that analyzing your opponent and planning a few steps ahead of them is your preferred battle style but there are times when it's better not to think so much."

"B-But why? Isn't it better to find out what the opponent is capable off before we come up with a plan to defeat them?" Shade questioned.

"That's true, but just keep in mind that there will be times when things won't go as planned." Julia replied as she walked back to the front of the group. Shade stared at her back with a baffled expression as she took a small break. She was sweating buckets and was quite out of breath. She wiped the sweat from her face with her towel and looked up at the slightly orange tinted sky. Time had flown by so quickly and before they knew it, evening had already arrived.

Truth be told, this training schedule was hard for anyone to keep up with. It consisted of intensive training from morning to evening with few breaks for five days per week. On top of that, their opponents were constantly changing. Chief Julia would always pair every Tamer in such a way that ensured each and every battle will force them to go all out. Of course this meant that by the end of the training, their energy levels would be near to zero. Just when everybody had more or less ended their fight, two clear and loud claps drew their attention.

"Alright that's enough for today!" Chief Julia scanned the group of Tamers before her with slight satisfaction before she continued, "I'm glad to say that all of you, no matter how little, have improved. But don't let this progress stop here! Continue to train with all you've got because we don't know when or what may come next. So when that time finally comes, I expect every one of you to be in your top form!" Chief Julia paused for a short before she began to relax. She breathed in and out and her usual smile was back on her face.

"Now leaving the serious matter aside, tomorrow will be the start of the weekends. There won't be any training for the next two days so take this time to thoroughly rest your mind and body. Of course this goes for you Digimons as well. Other than that, it'll be up to you to decided how you'll spend the rest of your time. Now then, let's head back to DarkMoon CITY."

* * *

DarkMoonCITY

On the way back, everybody, with the exception of Chief Julia, were practically dragging their feet and staggered towards their room. If one were to describe how they appeared like, it would be safe to compare them to walking zombies with a little more life in them. The moment Shade made it to her room, she plopped onto her soft, comfortable bed. She turned to lie on her back. Her eyelids became heavy and she felt like she could just sleep through dinner till the next morning. Shade closed her eyes and with her remaining strength, pushed herself off the bed. She walked over to her wardrobe and took out a new set of clothes to change into.

'The least I should do is to wash off all this sweat with a nice bath.'

**Shade's POV**

When I entered and locked the bathroom in my room, I placed my new clothes on the table by the sink and dumped my dirty clothes into the laundry basket. Next, I walked to the shower cubicle and turned on the shower. I let the water temperature slowly adjust as the cooling water flowed down my back. This feels so good I could feel my body start to relax. After a short while, I turned it off and begun to shampoo my hair and soap my body. While I was doing so, I couldn't help but think back to when all this started.

**_Brief Flashback~_**

That's right. Over the multiple events that occurred in the past, the once peaceful life the Digital World had suddenly changed. It all started with the rookie tournament exactly six months ago. The Rookie Tournament progressed as per normal with Night Crow being victorious. Afterwards, a mysterious figure was spotted near the lobby. But when _it _was backed into a corner, it somehow managed to teleport away. Chief Julia and Chief Glare were both suspicious about the matter so they discussed it privately. The end of the Rookie Tournament ended around early evening so I went to take a nap. The Tournament really drained my energy but I guess that's normal because I was up against Kou. Afterall, our strength were pretty even. However that was when _it_ struck.

A mysterious intruder had broken into the CITY and bypassed all of the defenses. Tamers all around the CITY fell unconscious and almost every Digimon within the CITY were reduced to DigiEggs. We were in a really pathetic state. By the time I reached the intruder after Saz informed me of the situation, Chief Julia and Chaos were struggling against _it. _But thanks to that, the intruder was weakened severely. To take on the entire CITY, the Digimons, Chief Julia and Chaos will undoubtedly drain a huge amount of energy from _it. _I managed to beat the intruder, with some risks and quite some difficulty, and the CITY's residents slowly returned to normal. Well except the Digimons. All the DigiEggs hatched into their former self's in-training stage, with the exception of Chaos, Diana, Alora and Kageru. Chaos was most likely strong enough to withstand turning into a DigiEgg but I cannot say the same for the rest. They were just Rookie Digimons back then. Maybe being in my DigiVice had something to do with it. But there is no way to find out.

However leaving the smaller issues aside, the remaining Tamers who still had energy helped with restoring the CITY's security and systems. Namely Dorothy, Newton, Gutts, Ponch, Barone and myself. Soon afterwards, Dorothy, Newton and me were briefed by Chief Julia about investigating the Sunken Tunnel. I was to head there while they kept restoring the CITY. But of course things did not go as planned when Barone, Gutts and Ponch decided to be part of the 'action'. **  
**

I managed to find them in a tight spot against a Raremon and I had to bail them out. But I could only defeat it because Diana digivolved into Lekismon so I got lucky there. Unfortunately despite the life threatening danger they rushed into, they failed to learn anything. When we got back to DarkmoonCITY, the trio received an earful an a rather lenient punishment of being the Tamer Home's caretaker for an three whole weeks. The days passed quickly and the last day of their punishment soon arrived.

Newton, Dorothy and me took a quest to get some Red Shoe Material form Login Mountain as a team. It's a rather minor and a not so important quest but the only thing we could do was to help the CITY residents with their needs. Truth be told, we would rather be helping with the restoration but Chief Julia told us to focus on our Tamer duties. But I guess that is to be expected. After all, if they could help it, they would not simply allow anyone to tamper with the CITY's main server.

The quest to Login Mountain was met with two big obstacles, the Airdramon brothers. When they were defeated, they had no memories of what they were doing or how they got there just like that Raremon. In other words, they were being controlled by the virus. Just how far has the virus spread? In the worst case scenario, it has already affected the ends of the Digital World. Actually, that is very highly possible right now.

Roughly two and a half months have passed since then and the link to Limit Valley had finally been restored. I was tasked to investigate the area with two senior Tamers by Chief Julia. The investigation went pretty smoothly and there weren't any unusual signs in the beginning. As we ventured deeper into Limit Valley, we heard sounds of combat and true enough, we found two Light Fang Tamers just around the corner. They were have some trouble fighting against a huge swarm of SandYanmamons. We lent a hand to them and they told us that Kou was going up against a really strong Digimon called Grimmon up ahead. It was decided that I would go and assist Kou while they handled things on their side.

By the time I reached Kou, he was about to get fired at with Grimmon's gun-like arm. Kageru, Ogremon, fired his** 'Pummel Whack' **and it slammed right onto Grimmon's chest. It caused him to lose balance and deactivate the attack. We teamed up against Grimmon for awhile but he provoked Kou into fighting him one-on-one. In the end, Kou won. After we said our farewell, we returned and reported back to Chief Julia. Since then in the days to come, the number of strong and violent virus-controlled Digimons have mysteriously decreased. Chief Julia took this as bad sign and this, was also when our intense training first started.

_**End Flashback~**_

I plopped back onto my bed after that refreshing shower. I tilted my head so that I could gaze at the dimming orange sky beyond my window. Thanks to the training, we have gotten stronger. But no matter how much stronger I get, I just can't shake off this bad feeling I have. Up till now everything has worked out but I wonder just how long will this last...

* * *

**Meanwhile at SunshineCITY,**

**Kou POV**

Ever since that Rookie Tournament six months ago, things got hectic. Tamers were being sent on investigations and fighting Virus-controlled Digimons. Even I just came back from stopping three Dorugamon from digging holes into the Login mountain. Geez, just what were they thinking! They would have caused the entire mountain to collapse if they continued. Of course did not go quietly and I had to knock some sense into them. The intriguing thing was that they were not being controlled by the virus and were doing this out of the own free will. But the most annoying part of all, was the fact that they were scattered around the mountain. I had to look high and low to make sure I stopped all three of them. Well at least I got the job done in time and I have already reported back to the client so all that's left now is to receive the reward at the Shine Center.

"Welcome back Kou. So how did they quest go?" I flashed a thumbs up.

"Of course it's successful. I didn't have to do too much but ...there were some inconveniences."

"Thanks for your hardwork. Here's your reward."

"Thanks. Er...mm nevermind..." Somehow, I cannot bring myself to ask about it.

"I know what your thinking but that can't be help right now. All of us have to focus of what we can do while the others are restoring the server. "

"But still..."

"Don't think too much about it. Just hang tight and it'll all be over before we realize it."

"Maybe your right. Well then, see ya."

Tamer Home, Kou's room

I stretched my arms as I walked to my window. _I'm finally done for the day. _I know I shouldn't be complaining but there hasn't been anything challenging lately. Truthfully, it's getting boring. During the past few months, my friends and I have been training whenever we were free and we have gotten a lot stronger. Well...maybe a little too strong. I looked up to gaze at the late evening sky from my window. It takes away the challenge out of everything but we really can't slack off right now. We won't know what will happen next and when it will be. All we _can _do now is to get stronger with the time we have now and be prepared. My eyes narrowed slightly.

I am very confident in my strength however, why I can't seem to shake off this bad feeling I have...

* * *

**Normal POV**

Although our main characters are at different places, they continue to gaze at the same sky. They may be different in many ways but right now, they shared the same thought.

_'I may not know what to expect but one thing is for sure. There's no way am I going to back down!'_

On the outside, the digital world seems to have fallen into a quiet period of time. However, whether they know it or not, the worst has yet to come. Within the darkest shadows, a group of individuals have begun to make their move. What are their plans? What is this bad feeling Kou and Shade both have? How will the Tamers face against them? But most importantly, how will they survive?

* * *

**Just in case some of you are still unsure of the timing of events, it's listed in bullet point here:  
**- The prologue (first chapter) took place one day before the Tournament.  
- The Rookie Tournament was when it all began to start six months ago.  
- The intruder struck on the same day as the Tournament and was defeated by Shade.  
- Shade and gang helped with the reconstruction for awhile after several hours.  
- Shade got dispatched to the Sunken Tunnel for investigation but Ponch and gang 'disappeared'.  
- They got saved by her and was punished by Chief Julia.  
- Roughly three weeks later, after 20 days to be exact, Shade and gang did a quest at Login Mountain together.  
- They defeated two Airdramons who were being controlled by the virus and they went home.  
**This roughly takes up on month.**

**After a month and a half of all the above events (meaning about two and a half months after the Tournament),**  
- At some point in time, Kou thought back on yesterday's encounter with Blossomon and that unknown voice.  
- He began overthinking things.  
- Later on the same day, he went to Limit Valley and fought Grimmon aka Mysterious egg.  
- Kou won with some help from Shade.  
- Kou, along with two senior Tamers reported back to Chief Glare and unfortunately, communication with DarkmoonCITY is still down.  
**For the rest of time until now, ****stuff happened including training for both of them.**

**So what are your thoughts on this filler? I originally wanted to keep i to 2000 words but it rose to 3377**** words. Hmm...the next chapter will be an actual chapter so no worries there~ Here's a mini preview or rather sneak peek of the gist for the next few Chapters to come:  
**The pace of the story will gradually rise as danger slowly steps out from the shadows. A voice will be heard and an ancient prophecy shall be uncovered. Shade and Kou will walk the path they deem right but when things turn for the worst, how will they survive?

**Somehow, I think I should make that my story summary with some editing. It just has so much more impact/mystery surrounding it. It also makes the plot seem intriguing too. X3 Well aside from that, DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :)**


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